Immortality
by SolaceActor
Summary: Alfirin is a cursed 25 year old woman. She is immortal whether she likes it or not. But when she unexpectedly meets Loki, her Other, will she change for better or worse? With a new precious item that has fallen to Earth, it's a battle between good and evil, physically and emotionally. Loki/OC Rated M. Chapter 18 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**Pre-Avengers and maybe pre-Thor. Haven't seen Thor so it may be inaccurate. **

It was storming outside. I don't like storms. To be honest, they scare the hell out of me. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact I've been struck by lightning before. _Not at all._ Not that my sarcasm gives it away at all. I sighed as I sat beside the window. The rain was beautiful. It was my favourite weather. The storm, however… That I could do without. I had always tried not to make moping a habit but here I was, fourth time in the past week, wallowing in self-pity. The weather did not make it any better. But of course, should I expect any different from England? Nope. And why should I? I had heard of pathetic fallacy in my Literature classes during secondary school. It seemed to be taunting me. I didn't like that. There are a lot of things that I don't like. I don't like storms, for example. Another is pathetic fallacy. Then there's being taunted. That's number 3. Oh, and I don't like my condition. My condition being I can't fully die.

Yeah, strange, isn't it? You'd think, me being a human and all, I'd be able to accomplish that simple task. But apparently not. I can 'die'. But really, it's like I'm in a coma for a day or two and then I wake up, usually pretty sore. Worst case scenario, it's a month for me to fully recuperate. I haven't told anyone. Only my family know. They'd either think me a freak, try to use me, or badger me for the secret to eternal life. Well, it's full of complaints. And very dull. And very depressing too. I've tried suicide more times than I care to count. No one knows. I can't let anyone know. I am the middle child of a family that have only the children remaining. My parents died in a fire about 7 years ago. Now, it's me and my brother and sister. I'm only in contact with my brother.

I suppose that for this chapter of my life, I might as well explain everything to you. Well, I'll start from the beginning:

I was born in a desert. Nice, right? My mother had been heavily pregnant when an opportunity arose that she just couldn't decline. My father took her and my older brother, Colin, who was three at the time. They had apparently been searching for some sort of 'portal'. Perhaps a joke had been played because when they got there, there was no evidence of anything there. No burn marks, no indentations, no blood, nothing. On the way back, my mother's water broke and she went into labour shortly after. Apparently, I shot right out and landed in the sand. It burned my skin and I have scars on my back from it. They aren't the only scars but I'll get to that in a moment. Anyway, my brother got over the shock first and picked me up. My eyes had opened before my mother held me. You know how people say that when a baby opens its eyes, the first person they ever see, they fall in love with immediately? Unconditionally? Yeah, my mother never forgave Colin for that. She had wanted to be the first to look at my blue eyes, since all babies eyes are blue when born, and that had been taken from her. She all but snatched me from Colin's arms and sent him away. As soon as he had gone, I cried. Depressing for my parents, hm? My father didn't understand my mother's grief. Why would he? He didn't go through all of that pain only to have the joy taken away.

My bond with my brother was unbreakable from then on. We grew up with such a bond that nothing and no one could sever. I can still remember some of the games we used to play. Usually pranks, admittedly. I could never love anyone more than my brother. He was my best friend and my brother. When I was 2, my younger sister was born. Neither I nor Colin was allowed into the ward when Mother gave birth. Francesca was a stubborn child from the beginning. She wasn't spoiled but she didn't go down without a fight. We didn't get on from the start. I recall when I was 14 and she was 13. She had grown to be rather pretty actually. She had shoulder length red hair, flaming like embers, and her freckles decorated the whole of her face. Her eyes were a deep brown and she was short for her age. But the boys in her year loved her. She went through tonnes of boyfriends. Anyway, we had a little argument when she requested to wear my favourite dress to a date. I had asked who it was and she told me it was the most popular boy in her year. I made her promise not to wreck it. She promised. But she didn't keep it. When she returned, there was a large stain on the front that smelled like alcohol. It took me weeks to get it out. Father forced her to buy me a new one. She was very stubborn but Father talked her round.

When I was 16, I was struck by lightning. I died. And then I woke up. In a morgue. It was frightening, to say the least. I had run out and scared half the doctors to near death. I would have been amused if I had not been still getting over the shock. My doctor told me that I had been dead. Not a coma. I had no pulse, I was not responding and I was not breathing. I had tests done and eventually, they decided to try and kill me again. They shot me. It hurt like a bitch. And I woke up again. At first, I walked around like I was on top of the world. I got cocky. I regret that. I got three people killed because of my foolishness. It earned me more scars. I began to be more careful after that. It was 2 years later, when I was 18, Colin had to take Francesca out to buy some things. I was in my room when the fire started. The smell of smoke had polluted the entire house and I could hardly see. I had been screaming a lot. My voice was a bit dodgy after that. Father pushed me out of a window. He knew I wouldn't die and he did it to save me. I had always loved Father more than Mother. He didn't reject me or my siblings. Mother did. She never behaved the same way to me or Colin as she did to Francesca. I was the freak. Colin was the outcast. We licked our wounds together nearly every night. But that night, only I came out 'alive'.

After that, I tried to kill myself. I began with hanging myself. When that didn't work, I drove a car off a cliff. Instead, I was charged with insurance and vandalism and had to pay the price with more scars. I began to get desperate. I cut my wrists and my body, hoping the blood loss would kill me. It didn't. It resulted in all the more emotional and physical scars I would never show anyone. After many fruitless attempts, I resorted to the last two things that terrified me more than anything. First, I tried to burn myself alive. Then I tried to drown myself. Neither worked. So I just starved myself and did nothing for months. I sat in my room, refusing contact from anyone except Colin, and wallowed. My sanity had been shaken for a while and Francesca had moved onto bigger and better things than a freak of a sister. I found out recently she was a waitress in a seedy bar.

I should probably describe my siblings and I. Well, now that I'm 25, Colin is to be 29 soon and Francesca is 22. I have Francesca on Facebook but I never look at her profile. To be frank, her clothes disgust me. She's gotten into the 'duck face' craze. It creeps me out to be honest. Why do girls do that? What's so attractive about being a duck? Anyway, last I checked, her red hair was down to her elbows and her brown eyes still glinted evilly. She was still short and thin. Very thin. Not slim. Thin. She had no meat on her. She didn't have very large breasts and wasn't well gifted in the bum department. So she made up for it by wearing low cut tops and skirts (belts really) that hardly covered her underwear. Ugh. She was conniving, conceited and more words beginning with a 'c'. But not caring. Not courageous. Not charismatic. She could be charming when she wanted to though. It was sickening though. For all I know, she could have changed but, really, in the past month? I sincerely doubt it.

Colin, my darling brother, is nearly 29. I am very excited for his birthday. I was planning a party. But now, for his features. He's tall and well-built. He's the kind of guy that girls would wink at and maybe even swoon over. He was a bit of a flirt but he didn't lead anyone on. Colin has short brown hair that has a little curl at the fringe that I love to play with. He has dark brown eyes, like Francesca, but they're kind. They look like a dark chocolate gateaux. Okay, I like desserts. Shut up. Anyway, as I said he's tall and he's good-looking too, I shall not deny that. He is at least a head taller than me. He uses his height to tease me, which is highly unfair! But hey, he's my brother. He tends to wear sweatshirts and t-shirts with a pair of baggy jeans. He _claims_ he doesn't like today's fashions yet last I saw him, he was wearing chinos and one of those irritating hats with the fluffy earflaps.

Now, for my own appearance and personality. Don't get excited. I look very similar to my brother. I have long brown hair, longer than Francesca's. It's down to my hips. I am quite tall as well. As I said before, Colin is a head taller than me and he's rather tall actually. So, I pride myself on my height. I am slim. Not thin. I am slim. I pride myself on my figure as well. I don't like to brag but if my emotions and my mind are a mess then I feel better when I see myself. It reminds me that I could be worse off. But my eye sight could be a little better. I have to wear glasses when I read. But really, nothing to complain about. Anyway, my eyes are a hazel. Brown and green. They both overpower each other. They are balanced in a strange way. Some people see them as merely vibrant brown eyes. Others see them as emerald green. But only Colin has seen them both. He's special. It makes sense; he was the first to see my eyes so it would only be right for him to see them truly. Now, my personality… Well, I suppose I'm a little hot-tempered. Not much but enough to let people know I don't just put up with stuff. I'm sensitive. Who wouldn't be? With all of the stuff in my hell-forsaken life, I deserve a little bit of sensitivity. I wear shirts and trousers mostly. If I have none, I wear a simple top with boot-cut jeans. And another thing. I stop aging tomorrow.

I had an appointment a couple of weeks back. They said that my aging had been slowing down dramatically. Don't even ask how they knew because I don't know. Hell, I didn't even _know_ I wasn't aging anymore. Anyway, my aging stops tomorrow. Which means I'm pretty much immortal. I'll have to sit around, watching my brother age and die. Then I'll be alone. And _that_ is the reason I am moping right now.

A knock at my door signalled to me that I was being silly. But was I? Sighing, I pushed myself off of the large windowsill and I plodded over to the dark wooden door. Upon opening it, I was met with someone I had not seen in a long while, with hair dripping from the rain. Someone I had not seen in 7 years. Francesca.

**So, how was that for an introduction? I reckon that the history bit was alright but I don't like putting all of the past at the beginning. I did it with Madness of Being Solitary. It worked okay but I guess I like some mystery. Anyway, hopefully this was acceptable. Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Pre-Avengers and probably pre-Thor. Haven't seen Thor so I'll probably get stuff wrong :P Sorry! **

My eyes seemed to burn. With tears? With anger? I couldn't tell. Francesca stared at me. And then she hugged me. Where had all of that contempt gone? It seemed to have left, at least for a while. I hesitantly returned the hug and I felt her tears soaking through my shirt. "Hey, what's wrong, Frankie?" I used the nickname I had called her years ago whenever she was upset. She just cried even more. I sort of regretted it but she was my sister. I couldn't turn her away. I gently guided her in and closed the door. Afterwards, I set her down on an armchair in my lounge and then I went to my kitchen to get her some wine. Knowing her, she'd need it. When I returned, she had stopped crying but she was hiccupping now. Perhaps wine wasn't the best idea… Her eyes lit up when she saw the glass and bottle in my hand. Or perhaps it is. So I crossed over and poured her a full glass. She drained it quickly.

"So, what's up? You turn up on my doorstep after 7 years and you're crying your eyes out. Is it Jordan?" She looked confused.  
"Alfirin, I split up with Jordan 5 years ago." She said. Yes, Father got to name me. He was a Lord of the Rings fanatic. My name means immortal. Coincidence?  
"You haven't spoken to me in 7 years and I don't gawp at your Facebook profile." I said matter-of-factly. She seemed a little sheepish. I settled down in my 'seat'. It was the chair I felt most comfortable in. If I ever had a friend over or a boy (which was rare), I had to specifically tell them to keep off of my chair. Don't ask me why. I just really like the chair. It's a dark green with black stripes going down it and black cushions. Love it to bits. Anyway, back to the story…

"Well, actually, it does have something to do with a boy…" I cocked my head to the side. _When is it not a boy?_ I put the bottle down on the table and then leaned back in my seat, bringing my legs up and then crossing them, as though I was meditating again. "Who is it?" I asked. Francesca cleared her throat and looked away with a blush.  
"Kyle Cheap…" My face remained blank. She peeked up at me when I offered no response. "You _do_ know who Kyle is, right?" She asked incredously. I didn't change my expression. I thanked the Gods that she worked it out though. She had never been the brightest girl. "Allie, he's only, like, the biggest star at the moment!" I still didn't respond. _Who the hell is this guy?_ She sighed and waved me off, as though _I_ was the uneducated. She skipped her last year and flunked college!  
"Thank you for the subtle hint of my lack of intelligence. Now, what is it with this guy that's gotten you into a crying mess?" I said monotonously. Her eyes automatically wetted again. I sort of regretted it but I brushed it away.  
"He… he proposed…" I cocked an eyebrow.  
"How long had you been seeing each other?" She then blushed again.  
"7 months." To be honest, I had been expecting something worse. Like 2 months. Francesca had been engaged plenty of times before. I doubted this one would be any different. What I wanted to know was how Kyle, an apparent huge star, got to know Francesca, a waitress in a little bar. But I wouldn't ask. It would probably have been a party anyway. One that she wasn't invited to. She had a knack for that kind of thing. "That's not too bad. Now, what's the bad news?" She burst into tears again. _Damn it, I just got her to stop that as well_. I sighed and waited patiently, licked my lips as I did so. A habit I had picked up over the past few years. "He… broke it off." My eyes snapped back to her face.  
"Why?" I asked curiously. I should probably show more sympathy and emotion but I had never been very good at comforting people. "I don't know, do I?" She snapped. I didn't wince at her tone. It didn't surprise me. She usually snapped anyway.  
"Oh, I apologise." I said in a tone that clearly said I didn't. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Hey, you came to _me_. I'm being a good sister and trying to help you." I reminded her. She sighed and nodded. As she thought, I looked at what she looked like.

She had cut her hair. It now short, down to her chin. It was shorter at the back and lengthened as it came to the front. Her eyes were still large and brown and they still held the arrogant glint. I had been excited for a sister when I was younger but she turned out nothing like how I had hoped. Francesca was wearing a tight top with a tight cardigan with it. She was also wearing skinny jeans. It didn't look right. I tried to recall what Mother had told me years ago during one of our few Mother-Daughter conversations. 'Wear baggy tops with skinny jeans. Wear tight tops with baggy jeans. You have a body, Allie. Flaunt it.' I never did.

"I bought a house down the road." I was jerked out of my memories by Francesca's somewhat sultry voice. It wasn't too bad but still, it gave off an aura. The kind of aura where you knew them just by hearing their voice. "Oh?" I replied. She nodded.  
"Mmhm. I'll be here for a while. I'd like to make up for lost time between us." That shocked me. Was this an… apology? No. Francesca did not apologise. Ever. That was one of Frankie's Laws.  
"I see. Well, I look forward to it." And then it just felt awkward.

Today was the day my aging officially ended. I would be 25 forever. I didn't like the idea of that but hey, what can I do? I finally decided to leave the depressing depths of my home to go to work. I locked my front door behind me and then set off walking down the street to the library. It wasn't a very strict library and it never was very busy but I liked it. When I walked through the large doors, I waved to the receptionist, Casey. She was nice enough but she was so shy it was difficult to get a proper conversation. But don't let that fool you. When a man or a close friend was concerned, she was ferocious. If she merely laid dibs on a man, she could tend to get quite competitive but I never participated in any 'contest' we had. Most of the time, though, she was just a mousey girl with the personality of a wet cloth. She timidly waved back and then returned to her computer. I strode into the staff room and checked in. There wasn't a uniform, thank the Gods. I hated uniform. I put my reading glasses in my breast pocket and then stepped out, already knowing where I was going to go first.

I had my nose buried in my fantasy book when someone approached me. I looked up reluctantly and found Casey standing above me, her lips pressed together, a habit she had when she had to ask something. I placed my green bookmark in the book and placed it down. Yes, I did like green. Quite a bit. In fact, most of my furniture and my shirts were green. I looked at her expectantly and she played with her fingers. "Um, Alfirin, there's someone who needs a book and-." I cut her off.  
"Casey, for the last time. Call me Allie, if you count me as a friend. I count you as a friend. Just do not call me Alfie." My ex had called me Alfie. I hated it. She nodded meekly and then continued her sentence.  
"There's someone who needs a book and to be honest, you know this library much better than any of the staff do so I think you need to show him where that book is." She babbled quickly, going red in the face. This woman is my partner. She's like the equivalent to my employee and boss at the same time. Usually, she takes charge at the desk and I meander through library. I focussed on her face and her eyes. She seemed embarrassed. I put two and two together.  
"He's good-looking, isn't he?" I asked with a smirk on my face and an eyebrow raised. She blushed even more but didn't deny it. There was no need. I got up from my seat, the one I always sat in when I was in the library. I then removed my reading glasses and placed them in my breast pocket again. "Alright, take me to him." I said serenely. She nodded quickly and led me to the main area.

Casey was right. He _was_ good-looking. It almost hurt. He was tall and slim but still looked well-toned and muscled. Sadly, he was taller than me. He was roughly the same height as Colin actually. Thinking about Colin made my chest ache but I ignored it. He had black hair that was slicked back in a stylish but not 'fashionable' way. As in, not the way everyone else had their hair done these days. It was different but looked good. He was very pale and he wore a black and green suit with a black and white scarf over the coat. But what truly made me stop and stare from behind the bookshelves, was his eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of green I had ever seen in my life. "Hot, isn't he?" Casey whispered. _Where did her shyness go? Oh yes, it's out the window when a man is involved. Indirectly._ I looked at her.  
"Hot? Casey, he's gorgeous. He's absolutely…" I didn't even finish my sentence. I didn't have to. She just nodded happily and then walked into the lobby. Her timid nature soon came swinging back into action. _And there's the direct behaviour she has around men._ I followed her, somewhat confidently, and we came to a stop before him. His eyes looked even more breath-taking up close. They held an amused glint in them and I had the sneaking suspicion he heard Casey and I talking behind the bookshelf. Oh well. His eyes settled on Casey first, her being the one leading me, and then switched to mine. My breath hitched but I managed to keep my cool. Just. His eyes lingered on mine even as we stopped. And if I'm honest, I could not keep my eyes off of him either.

Casey cleared her throat. His eyes didn't move to her at all. They stayed trained on my own. "Th-this is the woman who will take you to those books you wanted, sir. If you need anything else, just come and ask." She squeaked. Being in the presence of this man must be killing her. He nodded but continued watching me. It irked me and excited me at the same time. Casey nodded and left almost silently. When she was gone, I finally spoke.

"What are the books you are requiring, sir?" I asked him professionally. _Oh yeah, I kept my cool!_ He didn't answer for a moment.  
"I require fantasy." Respect grew immediately. His voice was just… It oozed sex. Is that possible? It sure as hell is now. No wonder Casey was a bundle of nerves. I nodded.  
"If you'd follow me then, sir." He nodded as well and we began walking up the stairs to where my forgotten book had been sitting. I ached to return to it but first of all, Mr Handsome needed some guidance. We arrived in the fantasy aisle and I turned to him once more. I had turned just in time to see his eyes snap back to mine after ogling my ass. I narrowed my eyes ever so slightly and his beautiful eyes looked amused. "What type of fantasy were you looking for?" I asked, deciding to remove the 'sir'.  
"There are different types?" The man asked with an eyebrow raised. I nodded and then walked slowly down the aisle.  
"Of course there are. There are the fantasies that spike a child's interest and ones that would catch an adult's attention." I ran my fingers over the books as I spoke, "There are the fantasies containing heroes and maidens in need of rescue. There are fantasies containing super-galactic robots coming to devour the planet. There are fantasies containing horrific creatures to frighten everyone into thinking there truly is a monster under the bed. There are fantasies containing Gods descending onto our planet in search of powerful artefacts." I turned and looked at him, with the glint in my eye that Colin described as 'fascinated'. I just noticed him tense from the distance I had walked away from him. I shrugged it off and remained where I was. The man then spoke.

"But the books containing heroes and maidens in need of rescue are fairy tales. The books containing super-galactic robots coming to devour the planet are science fiction. The books containing horrific creatures to frighten everyone into thinking there truly is a monster under the bed are horror. The books containing Gods descending upon the planet in search of powerful artefacts are myths. How could they possibly be fantasies?" He asked, repeating my speech word for word. Me being me, I noticed how he did not say 'upon _our_ planet'. He had gotten every word correct but that one.  
"You mean upon _our_ planet." I stated, being pedantic as ever. He smirked and something completely unrelated made my legs feel like jelly.

"Oh yes, how silly of me." He said, almost sarcastically. _There's something different about this guy…_  
"And to answer your question, they are all fantasies because almost all of them came from the minds of us humans." I explained. He looked at me with interest.  
"Almost?" I nodded.  
"Indeed. Heroes, maidens, robots and horrific creatures come from our minds. Or at least, I hope so." I added with a small smile. He grinned, almost evilly, and I realized that the temperature in the library _must_ be broken. It wasn't this hot earlier, was it?  
"And the Gods?" He asked, walking over slowly, taking his time. Every step he took, my heart skipped a beat.  
"I personally believe that there are Gods out there that have already descended and will do so again, if not in the near future, then in the next decade or so." He froze, about three quarters the way over to me. And then he continued, as though nothing happened. He stopped, merely 6 inches away from me. He towered over me, making me miss Colin all the more. His eyes never left mine. "Then what book would you recommend, my lady?" The formal title surprised me greatly but I didn't react. _Oh my, if I could die, I would have been dead in this close proximity with this man._

I cleared my throat and stepped back and then walked over to my seat I had been sitting in previously. I took my reading glasses out of my pocket and put them on. They always slid down my nose so I just let them. I then picked up the book I had been reading earlier but I did not turn back. "This one, sir. It interests me greatly and I daresay it will do the same for you." I looked at the cover and smiled.  
"What is it called?" I nearly jumped. His voice came from right beside my ear. Since he was taller than me, he must have stooped down to do that. _Cocky git… Damn him and his looks…_  
"It's called The Descent." I said as calmly as possible. _Gah, I can feel his body on my back. This man is absolutely… Damn it, I can't even be angry at him. What is this sorcery?_

"What is it about?" His voice was even closer to my ear and I could have sworn I felt his lips brush them. I shivered, I couldn't prevent it, and I could hear his chuckle reverberating through his chest. It rumbled against my back. I just managed to keep my cool. Just. "It's about a God that descends upon our planet in search of a powerful artefact." He laughed a little louder and I could pretty much hear his smirk beside my ear.  
"How _interesting_." _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…_ He took a step closer to me, if that was _even possible_, and his arms moved around my body to look at the book. I had made to step away but oh no, he just _had_ to put his head on my shoulder. _Dude, I don't even know your name. Why the hell are you acting like this? More importantly, why am I reacting like this?_ As he read on, my body temperature got hotter and hotter. Why couldn't he just hurry up and finish reading the _blurb_? It wasn't even that long! I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes and was shocked to see that he wasn't reading the blurb at all. He was watching me. And bloody hell, I never felt more aroused in my life. "Are you done _reading_?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He smirked. You know, these radiators really need to get themselves sorted out. The temperature just got even hotter. Annoying thing was, the pit of my stomach was on fire the most. "The book, yes. You… Not yet." And he continued to watch me. _What's wrong with this guy? What's wrong with me?_

Footsteps approaching the fantasy aisle jerked us both out of our stupor. He stood back but didn't let go of the book. I had to duck under his arms in order to escape before the intruder… intruded. I removed my reading glasses and began cleaning them as Casey rounded the corner. I looked up as I placed the glasses into my pocket and ignored Mr Handsome's eyes upon my hand as it placed them in it. She blushed almost immediately when his eyes swept over to hers. "Have you found your book, sir?" She managed to squeak out. He smiled charmingly and nodded.  
"Yes, indeed I have. The member of staff was, in fact, _very_ helpful." Casey missed the insinuation and then nodded, running a hand through her thin blonde hair.  
"Well, sir, if you would come with me to check the book out, unless you wish to read in here?" She asked, almost hopefully. For which one, I was not sure, but she would gain company from him either way. I had had more than I could handle however. The man nodded and then turned back to me. He bowed his head. "Thank you for your assistance, my lady. It was… enlightening. In more ways than one." He murmured the last part that I nearly did not catch it, but I knew he had intended for me to hear it.

He was about to leave when I cleared my throat. He looked at me with an amused expression. "Yes, my lady?" Again with the formal title… It made me feel good about myself. Emotionally. In fact, it felt great. I walked over and gently removed the book from his hands. He didn't protest and Casey looked like she was actually beginning to get impatient. I turned a corner, disappearing from their view for a moment, and returned with an amazing contraption; a library ladder. It wasn't just any ladder. It was like that one in Bed Knobs and Broomsticks. Meaning it moved on wheels but was connected to a railing at the top of the bookcase. "The book you were about to leave with is the copy I am currently reading. I'll get you the other copy since I would rather not look for my page once more." He nodded in understanding but remained silent.

I slowly climbed it, having no doubt that Mr Handsome was having a jolly good time watching my ass, and went to the row second to the top. I had no rush so I peered at the books casually. _Hm, the book's been moved_. "Casey, did you move the other copy of The Descent?" I asked her, having to speak a little louder because she seemed to be getting a little angry and wouldn't hear me over the steam coming out of her ears. She breathed deeply and nodded. "Yes, I did. I moved it next to Hubert's Amazing Time Machine and…" She trailed off. I sighed.  
"Forgotten?" I asked her and she nodded sheepishly. I smiled softly. It irritated me but I had to at least seem polite. "Don't worry, I know where it is." I kicked the left side of the bookcase and it sent me gliding to the other side. I stopped abruptly and then moved it a little to the left. And there it was. "Aha." I mumbled and reached over to take it out. It came out easy; easier than I thought it would. I toppled a little and Casey screamed a little but I just managed to grab the ladder in time.

I exhaled deeply and nodded. I looked down and found the man standing below me, watching me. _Must have run over in case I'd fall. How'd he run that fast? Did he teleport or something?_ "No need to scream, Casey. I wouldn't die anyway. I'm surprisingly resilient." I said with a slightly joking tone. I slowly came down the ladder and I heard the man whisper:  
"The descent of a God." I could feel my heart beat louder and my cheeks flared. I gulped and tried to cover it as best as I could.  
"I swear, you have so many accidents here but you still work here. You're so accident prone." Casey fussed as she walked over. I shrugged it off.  
"It's not like it's going to kill me." I said evenly and promptly handed the book to Mr Handsome. Oh, why did he have to brush my fingers when he took it from me? Why? I think I might have sighed very softly but oh well. I doubted I would see him again. When I looked at him, he seemed curious about my 'It's not like it's going to kill me' and… concerned? What? Ugh, men.

"Here you are, sir. The Descent, as I recommended and as you requested." He bowed his head and smiled.  
"Thank you, my lady. What is your name, if I may be so bold as to ask?"  
"Alfirin. And yours, sir?" _Please tell me your name. As catchy as Mr Handsome is, I'd like to refer to you as an actual person._ He smirked a little, as though he had heard my thoughts. Damn radiators! I'd have to talk to Casey about it.  
"Loki." My breath stopped for a moment. _Loki… The God of Mischief and Lies… My favourite…_ I would think harder on it later. For now, there were more pressing matters at hand. Literally. He took my hand and pressed his lips to my palm (See what I did there?). "Until we meet again, Alfirin." Oh my Gods, my name coming from his mouth was like the sweetest sin. Bloody hell… He withdrew slowly and straightened. Once more, he smirked and then walked away, his hand brushing mine. My hand was on fire for the rest of the day.

Nothing else happened for the remainder of the day in the library. A few men came in, a family or two, and some lone college students. The men flirted with Casey quite a bit and I immediately regretted going down to place a forgotten book on a shelf. They intended to follow me through the library, trying hard not to lose me. I'll admit I felt especially cunning when I led them to a more complex side of the library and lost them in the thinner but shapely bookcases.

I yawned as I fumbled through my pockets for my key. The rain had dried out from the day before and now it was snowing. The weather is so unpredictable. Snowflake after snowflake fluttered down and melted into my hair. Finally managing to get my keys out, I placed it into the lock and went to unlock it. But I couldn't. I frowned and tried again. It still didn't work. I stood still for a moment and then turned the key the other way, to lock it. And it did. My eyes widened momentarily. I had definitely locked my door. Definitely. Maybe. No, definitely. I unlocked the door again and pushed it open quietly. Only I had the key to my house. Even Colin didn't have one. I had the only one.

I closed the door as silently as possible and removed my coat. Slowly, I crept through my hallway and grabbed the pistol I had gotten licensed and nearly gave my life for, ironically. The living room light was on. I had turned it off before I set off. I breathed deeply and closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them, they were filled with determination. I kicked open the door and aimed my pistol methodically around the room, never wavering. I could have sworn I heard a dark chuckle but I figured I had to have been paranoid. I listened intently. Nothing. I was alone in my house. I sighed and placed my pistol on the coffee table. And then I noticed something that hadn't been there before. It was a rose and a note. I frowned. Who would send me a rose and a note? How did it even get in here? Someone had obviously gotten in. They must have left the 'gifts' and then forgotten to turn out the lights. Picking up the note, I found myself shaking. _Who would do this?_ And then my mind jumped shamefully to the man in the library. Loki… I flinched when I thought about all of his pauses and his suggestions. 'The planet' not 'Our planet'… Super speed to catch me when I nearly fell from the ladder… Suggestions about Gods… Freezing when I mentioned the Gods at all… His mysterious aura that seemed to radiate danger and temptation… I sucked in breath. He was Loki. The Loki. And then my eyes swivelled to the note still in my trembling hands. I opened it slowly. Inside was some writing.

'_Until we meet again, my lady.'_

**Well, that was indeed fun to write. I think you can see that this will be an M. I'll try my best to make this work. Apologies for the 'Bella' moment at the end when Alfirin has the epiphany moment. I wanted her to know early to show her intelligence but it seemed a little too Mary Sue. Oh well, I hope you guys don't mind. This WAS going to be based during Avengers but I'd have to find a script and wait for the DVD. And I'm really not that patient. So, it's pre-Thor and pre-Avengers because I don't want Loki to be all 'Blah-blah-blah-stupidThor-blah-blah-revenge-blah-blah-blah-poorme-blah-blah-blah.' I'm sorry if people like that but DO NOT WORRY! LOKI SHALL HAVE SOME REASON TO BE ON EARTH. I'll be as cunning as I can with my limited knowledge of Thor. Hopefully, this will suffice! Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	3. Chapter 3

**Pre-Avengers and post-Thor, if post is the right word for after. I know I said that its pre-Thor but I just couldn't help but change it. It'll work! Don't worry! I'll make sure of it. **

The next day it was cold. Very cold. I didn't like the cold much. It was nice sometimes but I didn't like the bitterness. I could have done with some ice yesterday though… In the library with that God. A literal God. Though he looked like a sex god as well. My mind had been far from restful at night and it was all because of him. Yes, I blame him entirely. Stupid God… I groaned when I looked at the time. I had 22 minutes to get ready and get to the library. It's a very large library as well. And there's only two people working there. Casey and myself. But it wasn't very busy. There was a library in the centre that was twice the size of ours. And there were more than one. Business was poor but I didn't care. Sometimes, we'd get a new book and I'd be more excited than a child at Christmas. If it was non-fiction, my interest automatically dampened. Unless it involved stars and space. And ancient mythology. I mean, come on! How can you _not_ be interested in it?

Casey was distant when I arrived at the library. I waved at her and she didn't even look up. I frowned at her strange behaviour but shrugged it off. She disliked early mornings as much as I did. I placed my coat, hat and scarf in the staff room but kept my cardigan on. It was cold in the library today. Why couldn't it have been colder yesterday? I ignored my internal complaints and all but ran up the stairs to get to my book once more. I hadn't told Francesca about the note or the rose or Loki. Why would I? I haven't even spoken to Colin… He was away on a business trip so I had to wait until he returned. He was supposed to be back any day now. I grinned to myself when I remembered that tonight was 'call night'. I'd be able to hear his voice after a month. I missed him terribly. I sighed softly as I sat in my seat and picked up the book I had been reading yesterday. Removing my glasses from my pocket, I put them on my nose and began to read.

I was so engrossed in my reading I didn't even hear someone walking over to me. They stopped in front of me but I didn't even hear them. I was on the last page and Gods forbid if I was distracted now. '_And he ascended into the clouds with his new love. Who'd have known that the treasure he had been searching for was, in fact, the love of his life?_' I cocked an eyebrow at the end.  
"How terribly cliché…" I mumbled under my breath as I closed the book. When I did, I looked up at the person standing above me. Who else would it be? No one but the man himself, Loki. He was watching me with no expression.  
"I take it you weren't very fond of the ending either." Loki stated more than questioned. I nodded and removed my glasses.  
"I suppose it was to be expected. If a God should fall in love with a mortal, it would seem only right in either taking her to his own realm or remaining with her on her beloved planet." I said, a little bitterly, "Which brings me to my next point of subject; what artefact are you actually searching for on this planet?" If he was startled, he did not show it.

"I see you understood my insinuations. How clever." I couldn't tell if he was mocking me or not but I ignored the comment.  
"I received your note and flower last night. It was very touching." I replied just as scathingly. He smirked. I was thankful I was seated.  
"Yes, I do think it was rather touching. I presume you knew immediately that your home had been infiltrated?" This time, he did ask the question. I nodded stiffly. One thing did puzzle me however. I voiced it. "What I wish to know is why you even bothered to unlock the door. Surely you'd gain more amusement if I didn't know until I saw the gifts on the table. I'm sure you didn't pick the lock anyway." Loki grinned maliciously.  
"You'd be surprised if I told you my skills, Alfirin." I gulped and could feel my face getting hotter as I actually took the time to think about all of his skills. Hm, best not. Being an ass is one of them though. And being a total sex god is another. He seemed to be reading my thoughts, something I was not comfortable with, and he winked at me. _Oh dear lord…_ I actually _clenched_ the arms of the chair when he did that. So much for keeping my cool! Now I'd lost it. By a lot. I huffed when his grin intensified.

When I was confident my legs would not give out, I stood and picked up the book. I took a grand total of 2 steps towards the ladder, still 'parked' where it had been yesterday, when Loki stopped me. By laying a hand on my thigh. _Who does that? Why?_ I remained stock still as he moved slowly over. What should have taken half a second since I had taken 2 steps, took 5. The suspense would have killed me, if I could die. "Allow me, my lady." He murmured into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He flicked his wrist lazily and the book left my hands.

It flew up to the exact place where I had removed the other copy and slotted itself in snugly. I waited another 13 seconds until I spoke again. "That was very cool." I said evenly and I heard his chuckle.  
"Thank you, my lady. Now, I'm sure you have many questions." He stated as his hand ever so slowly, _too slowly_, inched its way up and down my thigh. I gulped and nodded, praying that this wouldn't take long. I'd pass out. Loki gently took my arm with the hand that had previously felt like magic and led me through the library. Some of me wondered briefly how he knew the library so well. Another part of me wondered what Casey's reaction would be. And then another part wondered how Loki got in without being spotted by the hawk eye of Casey. When I finished my ramblings in my mind, I looked around to find that we were in the darkest and most secluded area of the library. People came here to read mature novels or to have meetings. There weren't any cameras. Sometimes I came to cry.

Loki let go of my arm and gestured for me to take a seat. I laid over the sofa, taking up the entire thing. He raised an eyebrow in an amused manner but didn't comment on my behaviour. "So, what's your first question, my lady?" I pursed my lips as I pondered.  
"Did you enjoy The Descent, despite the cliché ending?" Loki seemed surprised that I didn't ask the most obvious question 'Are you really a God?' and he chuckled lightly.  
"I did indeed. Thank you for the recommendation." I smiled softly. "And your next question?" He was pacing a little. It didn't show nervousness. It showed his patience, if that works? No, it doesn't but that's how it seemed to me. "Well, my first initial question that I asked you was 'What artefact are you actually searching for on this planet?'. If you'd answer that, I'd be very appreciative." He paced a little longer and then stopped. He turned abruptly to look at me.  
"I do not know. Midgard… interests me. I wished to see the power of people, how they worked, how they thought. Fantasy novels help me do just that, though psychology books would probably assist me greater." I opened my mouth, about to tell him where the psychology aisle was when he continued, "And you interest me, my lady." My mouth automatically clamped shut. _Why? Who, what when, where, how? _And then he did the little mind reading thing again.  
"Why? I do not know. You seem different to the females of your species. There's something… strange about you. Not human. Who, well, it would be you of course. As to what, I have said my interest for you is somewhat overwhelming. I could scarcely sleep last night. When… Well, the moment I saw you, I knew. As for how, I'm sure you know what an affinity is. Or do your people call it 'love at first sight'?" My thoughts were a muddle.  
"Can you read my mind?" I asked, a little scared for the answer. He chuckled.  
"Only when you're feeling great emotion or wish for me to hear. It's strange because you're the only one with that kind of power. I can hear… Casey, isn't it? Yes, Casey. I can hear Casey's mind as though she were speaking to me mere inches away from me. But I don't think you'd like that." He smirked at the end. I narrowed my eyes. What was he implying? Jealousy? Haha, don't make me laugh. _But I am. Or at least, I would be. Shut up, head. Shut up._ "Shut up, Loki." I stuck my tongue out. He merely watched me in amusement.  
"And I must admit, I was very amused at your thoughts yesterday." Blood just ran cold. "Particularly your nickname for me. I nearly lost control." Blood got colder. "And then your thoughts earlier… About my _skills_… A lady such as yourself should not think such thoughts…" Heart stopped and brain died. He chuckled and then waited for my response.

I surprised him by saying nothing on the matter. He knew what I had been thinking. Embarrassing as it is, I chose not to dwell on it. "_Anyway_, I couldn't sleep well either, I… Hang on, 'love at first sight'?" I frowned at his phrase. _Love? Nah. Lust, maybe. Mmm, I don't like that word. He struck me as interesting and I knew that I had to know more about him. I also felt a strange… what, protectiveness? That's not love, that's… creepy._ _Right? It's not love, right? _"Indeed, I felt the same way." His sexy voice jerked me out of my thoughts.  
"Damn it, I forgot."

"So, you're a God. That's cool." My voice was muffled due to the cushion I had over my face while my head sat on Loki's lap. I'm not even sure how we got into that position. I think his legs got tired and I refused to move. Either way, we were both comfortable. He chuckled and I could feel his legs jerking softly from the movement of his laughs. "You are amusing to me, Alfirin. I'd like to keep you around as much as possible." He mused aloud. I didn't move the cushion but I smiled. "But what _is_ so different about you? What is that draws me to you?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Alfirin…" He warned tenderly. Before I could grip the cushion harder, he removed it from my face. I pouted and crossed my arms. "I'll admit, while you do not look frightening like that, you do look 'cute'." My cheeks flared again. Stupid God… Stupid sexy God… Oh wait, he can hear my thoughts… Hmph.

"_Anyway_, you spoke earlier of an affinity. Perhaps it's that." I said, getting over my embarrassment and lack of a cushion. Loki began playing with my hair and I'll admit, it felt nice. I began playing with my fingers and licking my top lip.  
"Perhaps. In fact, I'm almost certain that is what has occurred here but there's something more. There's something inhuman about you. Perhaps an ability." He pondered.  
"Well, I can't die, if that's what you're thinking." I said bluntly. He froze. I rolled my eyes. "Me and my big mouth. Seems to ramble on about nonsense." I said sarcastically. I was almost frightened to look at the God but when he didn't respond, I found myself eager to discover his thoughts. '_Perhaps it is true. Perhaps Father was correct about the Other._' I frowned. Those weren't my thoughts. When I had wanted to discover his thoughts, perhaps I… Cool! I looked at Loki and he appeared to be in deep thought. "Loki…" I murmured. His eyes closed for a second and then focussed on me.  
"Yes, my lady?" He looked at me with indifferent eyes but an ever so slightly husky voice. It did wonders to the pit of my stomach.  
"I heard some of your thoughts."

"Which ones? The ones where I thought you were beautiful or the ones where I thought you looked incredibly enticing in the vulnerable position you are in and the fact that you're licking your lip and it seems to be teasing me?" He said with a little smirk. My face heated up, damn radiators, and I pouted again.  
"Neither." I said stoutly. After a few seconds I could not resist. "Am I though?" For some reason, being called beautiful or enticing by Loki seemed more important to me than anyone else, even Colin for that matter, telling me it every day to catch my attention. It almost seemed like he meant it. Loki's smirk intensified. "Oh, yes. You most certainly are, my lady. If I could steal you now, I would. You have my word." And then my face melted off.

Nah, just kidding. It felt like it though. He chuckled deeply. "What _were_ the thoughts you heard?" He asked, still chuckling. I huffed but answered his question.  
"You thought about your Father speaking to you about an Other." I informed. I think I expected him to freeze and then leave. But he didn't. He merely played with my hair some more and, on occasion, stroking my cheek. "I see. Would you like to know about it?" I nodded quickly and he smiled softly. Genuinely. He looked even better with a genuine smile.  
"An Other is the equivalent of a soul mate in Midgard. Father, Odin, found Frigga, another Immortal. My brother, Thor, found Jane Foster, a mortal." He spat his brother's name. I frowned but didn't press on the matter. He'd tell me when he was ready. If he ever was ready. "And it would seem that I have found you." My heart took it upon itself to stop beating. _If I could die, you'd have killed me._ I thought, hoping he'd hear it. Apparently so; he smiled and nodded encouragingly. He then dipped his head down and brushed his lips over my forehead. "After a thousand years, I have found you." He murmured against my skin. Damn shivers! When did it get so cold? First it's too hot then it's too cold! Why?

Footsteps. Again. I rolled my eyes and Loki sat up with a slight groan. I quickly moved up and stood, holding a random book. As Casey rounded the corner, I quickly launched into a description of the book. "So, you see, love apparently fights through anything and will win in almost every battle." I explained, a slight frown on my face. Why did I pick a romance book? Typical. Loki smirked and nodded. When I looked up at Casey, she seemed a little short of livid. Perhaps she thought I was slacking off. Perhaps she thought I was flirting with the man she had dibs on. Either way, she was angry. "Alfirin, there's a man in the lobby for you." She sneered. I frowned. When had she gotten so moody? I glanced at Loki and found him amused. _Are you making her this way?_ I asked him incredously. His eyes revealed nothing. Stupid God… I sighed and nodded. "Alright, thank you, Casey." I said wearily and began to leave. As soon as I began to move, Casey walked over to Loki, asking him whether I had been at all inappropriate. I smirked when Loki said I hadn't.

I didn't even get to the stairs and I immediately saw who it was. I grinned as Colin waved it me from the lobby. "Colin!" I shrieked with delight. I nearly froze at the top of the stairs. I could have sworn I felt a flash of anger… Not from me. Perhaps I'm reading emotional signals from Casey? Or even Loki? I'd find out soon. I ran down the stairs and threw myself into Colin's arms when I came to a stop. My brother was home. Safe and sound. "I missed you so much." I mumbled into his neck. He smiled and held me even tighter.  
"And I missed you too, Allie." After a few minutes, I pulled away.  
"So, how was the business trip? Was it fun? Boring? How did it go? Did you meet any girls?" Colin laughed at my eagerness and smiled in an amused way. I didn't see what was so funny! I hadn't seen him in a month! I had missed him so much, it hurt. "It was fine. It was fun. It was boring too. It went alright. And, uh, yes, I did." I squealed at the end.  
"What's her name?" I asked. Colin smiled, as though reliving a past memory or joke.  
"She's called Gracelyn." Her name was beautiful. I couldn't wait until he showed her to me.  
"Well, when we get back, you'll have to tell me all about her!" I pretty much demanded. He grinned and put his arm around me.

"And what about you? Any men? Any news for me, your lovable and adorable brother?" I rolled my eyes.  
"Yes. First of all, I've officially stopped aging." Colin's smile immediately dropped and looked at me sadly. He gave me another hug. I returned it and then nodded. "I'm okay now. Um… what else… Ah, yes. Francesca turned up on my door, crying her eyes out." His face turned confused.  
"Why? Neither of us have spoken to her in 7 years." He pointed out.  
"Yes, I know. But she had been engaged with Kyle Cheap, apparently he's a big star at the moment, but he broke it off after several months." He nodded sombrely.  
"I see. Well, I suppose you can't help but break a few hearts every now and then." His words confused me and made me think of Loki. His face suddenly brightened.  
"And what about a _man_? Has there been anyone here giving you the eye? Or vice versa?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and I scoffed, pushing his broad shoulders away.

"Shut up, Colin." He just grinned. He then nodded his head, gesturing for me to continue. I sighed and gave in.  
"Yes, there is a man, Colin." _He_ squealed with delight and put his hands on my shoulders.  
"Who is it? What's his name? Is he good-looking?" I filtered those questions through my brain so that Loki could hear them. Then I answered them, both speaking and thinking. "His name is Loki. You have no _idea_ how good-looking he is." Colin grinned.  
"Aww, little Allie has a crush!" I punched his shoulder. He feigned hurt and held his arm. I just shrugged it off and gestured for him to follow me up the stairs. He did so with eagerness. "Are you taking me to him?" I smirked.  
"If there's anything left of him from Casey, yes. And even _you_ will swoon a little."

We arrived at the secluded area of the library. Loki was still seated, his back to us, and Casey was sitting on the other side of the room, trying to avoid eye contact. Her face was almost like a beetroot I could feel the heat from her face from where I was standing. "Casey, what's up?" I frowned.  
"He g-got angry earlier…"  
"When?" He got angry? Was that when I felt the anger pulse from the corner when I shouted Colin?  
"When you shouted at Colin." She explained, "And now he won't stop staring at me." I looked at Colin and found him watching Loki with interest. I cleared my throat.  
"I see. Well, I think it is time to introduce Colin." I pulled his arm and led him into the middle of the room, "Casey, Loki, this is Colin. He's my brother and best friend." I noticed Loki relax visibly. Colin noticed too.  
"Don't worry Loki, she's all yours." He said with a beam on his face. I rolled my eyes and nudged him. Loki stood up to greet him.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Colin." He said with a sincere smile. At least, I hoped it was sincere.

**So, chapter three in 2 days. That's not too bad. Could be better but as I said before, I have not seen Thor so Loki's behaviour after it may change. But, he's found his Other so what's going to happen to our beloved God of Mischief and Lies? Is he going to soften up or is he going to be adamant on protecting her from Thor when he returns to find Loki? You'll find out if you keep reading! Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna **


	4. Chapter 4

We were now sitting at home. I made sure to grab the new gifts (a rose and new book) and quickly whisk them away into my room. I was still pretty shocked at how fast Loki and I were moving along. We weren't in a relationship but it was a good friendship. If you could call it that. I've never believed in affinities really, or love at first sight, but the beating of my heart and redness of my face when I merely think about him tells another story. Colin was sitting on the sofa, since he knew that the green chair was _my_ chair. If Loki ever came round, he'd probably sit in it, just to annoy me. Or trap me in it. Or… Shut up. Stupid mind. I had a cup of tea (two sugars and a decent amount of milk) in my hands while Colin sipped coffee. Coffee was okay but tea was the classic drink. It was the bane of my life. I loved it. I'd have more than 6 cups a day sometimes.

"So, how long have you known Loki?" Colin asked to break the comfortable silence. I swallowed my tea and licked my lips.  
"2 days. He came into the library yesterday. We just clicked." Colin looked like he was fighting a smile.  
"I thought my little sister didn't _believe_ in love at first sight." I rolled my eyes. Stupid Colin. Stupid God.  
"Well, yeah, but I'd never felt it before. It was… strange to say the least. I took one look at him and felt… complete." Colin tilted his head.  
"So, not just lust? You feel like you're in love with him after two days?" Ugh, he made everything sound stupid.  
"No, not love. It's just… If I learn more about him, I'll consider a relationship." I didn't want to tell Colin everything. Like perhaps the fact that Loki was God. Or that I was his soul mate. Or that I felt like I couldn't breathe without him near. He had told me that his brother, Thor, met his Other on Earth. Where was he now? Was he with her? Were they on Earth or were they… where Loki came from? I wouldn't know for sure until I saw Loki again and asked him. I'm feeling all hot and bothered now… Damn it, I can scarcely breathe properly.

"Well, you're taking precautions, which is good. I don't want you to just rush into things." Colin informed me. I nodded. Francesca was the kind of girl who didn't think when it came to decisions. I used my head first. I was called a robot sometimes for it but I didn't care. "So, tell me about Francesca." So I launched into the tale of Frankie's misfortune and how she was moving in down the street, glad to be off the subject of Loki before I let something slip.

I woke up feeling a little sad. It was a Sunday. Which meant no work. Which meant no Loki. He might walk up to the library and, bless his heart, find the library closed. Poor man. Nah, he knows. Besides, if Loki was feeling how I did, he wouldn't be able to keep away much longer. I had a sneaking suspicion that he would turn up sooner rather than later. I went to the kitchen to get a nice cup of tea and found a note on the table. I opened it to find it from Colin, to my shameful disappointment.

'_Gone to see Gracelyn. She lives on the other side of town so I figured it'd be nice to see her. I might bring her home so be prepared in case I do! I won't be a burden to my poor frail sister much longer so don't you worry! Love you.  
Colin_'

I smiled softly. Colin had been around this woman for probably a month. It was longer than Loki and I but he had gotten a nice bond with Gracelyn, from what I could tell anyway. I folded the note and put it back on the table, in case I forgot. I looked at the kettle and my heart would have smiled if it could. But my greasy hair stopped me. I felt it and grimaced. Ugh, that didn't feel very nice. If Loki saw me like this, I would die. Whether I could or not, I would just _die_. I ran up the stairs quickly and locked myself into my bathroom, as though Loki was in my house already.

I undressed quickly and turned on the water. As I waited for the water to heat up, I wished I had my tea now. The steam in my shower made me turn around and get in. The scalding water washed over my body and I felt immediately refreshed. Much better. Lathering the shampoo and conditioner and I looked at my shower radio. _Music… Yes please._ I clicked the button and it went to my favourite station. And they were just about to play a song. Talk about luck! And it was one of my favourites. 'Sh-Boom' by The Chords. It was in the movie, Cars. I loved it tonnes and I grinned. If the volume had not been so loud, I would have heard the door open and close. If the steam had not been so thick, I would have seen a figure lean against the door, just staring at the foggy cubicle.

The song ended and I sighed with annoyance. It was much too short. I turned off the radio, having washed properly. The steam had not yet cleared in the cubicle so I opened the door a little, groping blindly for the towel. I removed it from the towel rack and dried myself off quickly in the cubicle and then wrapped the towel around my body. It was a smaller towel than I remembered but I ignored it. It's not like Loki would come while I was in the shower. Right? I was holding the towel up from the back, a habit I had developed when I went swimming so that people would definitely not see my scars. I opened the door completely and I stepped out. I expected a rush of cold air but no, I hit a hot, tall thing. I looked up and froze, all of my blood going cold. Loki was staring down at me.

I stood shock still, still getting over the surprise. My grip on the towel tightened as his eyes swept over my body. "How long have you been in here?" His jaw was clenched, as though controlling himself. Hah! Take that! He managed to compose himself.  
"Since just after you turned your musical device on." I cocked an eyebrow.  
"A radio, Loki. It's a radio." He didn't reply. He only took a step closer to me and put one hand on the back of my neck and the other my hand keeping my towel up. Damn this small towel. It stopped mid-thigh. Not something I was comfortable with. "Allow me, my lady." He breathed into my ear and he gently removed the towel from my hand. Now he was in control. Breathing was getting difficult. I thought breathing was hard away from him; it's even more so when he's right in front of me. "Another sleepless night because of you, my lady. Let's not make a habit of this." Loki murmured into my collar bone. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…_ "I believe a _punishment_ is in order." _DOUBLE SHIT._ He licked my collar bone. _I'm going to kill you! I swear I am!_ I screamed in my mind. I'm pretty sure he heard my cursing as well but he did not react to either. Instead he spoke. In my mind.

_I hardly think so, my lady._ Great, now we can speak through telepathy. I'm not going to lie though; his voice in my mind just sounded even better. _You have the most undeniably sexy voice in the history of mortals and immortals._ He chuckled deeply and continued licking my neck, peppering it with kisses. _And you, my lady, are the most undeniably sexy mortal and immortal I have ever met._ And then he bit down. Not hard but enough to make me shamefully moan. I felt his grin against my neck and slowly my own hands were moving up to his shoulders. His sexy voice saying sexy was just… I felt like I melted. _I sincerely hate you. With a passion._ How was I supposed to react to this? When he was touching me like this? When he was making me feel these things? What am I supposed to do? _You're passionate about me. That's a good sign._ Damn it, he really knew how to change my words.

He continued moving his free hand over my body as he brushed his lips over my face, making sure not to linger anywhere too long. And he completely missed my own lips every time. _Are you going to kiss me or not? I'm getting impatient._ I complained to him. He chuckled darkly into the corner of my mouth. This man is just the sweetest sin. I'd kill him if I weren't so interested in him. Or completely at his mercy. _I was under the impression the female kissed the man first._ Was that true? I didn't know whether the man kissed first or the woman… Hm. Oh well. Might as well lie to the God of Lies while I have the chance. _No, it's the male here. I'm sure of it. In fact, I'm positive. So there, Pombear._  
_Pombear?  
Yes, Pombear. It's a type of crisp. It's just a thing I like to say. In fact, that may be my new nickname for you. We're getting off topic. What happened to kissing me?_ He was putting it off, the sly bastard. He was teasing me. Taunting me, even. And being taunted was the third thing on my list of things I don't like. Sly, cocky, evil, sexy, tempting, stupid, fascinating God…

_Thank you for that long list of adjectives of me. I'll be sure to live up to those for you. Now, what happened to my other nickname? Mr Handsome, I believe it was._ I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'll kiss him. I'll kiss him. Whoops. Swapped the 'L' with the 'S'. _Interesting. Why don't you initiate the kiss then?_ He was just being an insufferable man now. During the whole of this interesting conversation, he's still kissing my face and, oh, _now_ he's brushing his fingers over the flesh on my back. Wait, on my back? No, stop!

Too late. He froze and his eyes opened. His insanely soft fingers could feel the scars on my back. The horrid, ugly, ridged scars on my back that my selfishness and misfortune had caused. Slowly, he pulled away. All thoughts of him kissing me disappeared as I was now worried what his reaction would be. Anger? Revulsion? Disgust? Disappointment? I hated to think about it but my thoughts were plagued with them. "Turn around." He whispered softly. I gulped but didn't argue. The relationship-no, the friendship had been going so great. It felt like heaven. And now, it was over. It would be over and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it because I can't hide the ugliness. I had mentioned that my appearance was something I was proud of. But the stupid god damn scarring ruined it all. Backless dresses were burned. Slightly transparent cardigans and other garments were ripped and then chucked away. Now, only shirts remained. A waistcoat or two but no dresses.

His hands glided softly over every scar on my back. It would have felt nice if I had not been too wrapped up in my own fears. Why? Why? I didn't want this to end. Not yet. Not at all. But he had found out too early. "How did you get these?" Loki's voice was so soft that I almost didn't hear it. I swallowed thickly.  
"Attempted suicide." I whispered shamefully. I hung my head and refused to look up at all. And then he startled me. Instead of pushing me away and leaving, Loki stooped a little and kissed my scars. Each and every one of them. What was happening? He should be rejecting me! "What are you doing?" I asked between shivers. Okay, I shouldn't be acting like that after this emotional… thing but it was a pleasurable experience anyway.  
"Even I'm not sure, my lady." He replied in hushed tones.

We had moved downstairs shortly after. I was now sitting in my seat with a nice hot cup of tea. The cup of tea I had neglected earlier for a shower. Loki sat opposite me, sipping his very first cup of tea. "Do you like it?" I asked, sounding less eager to hear his opinion than I really was. He smiled.  
"Indeed I do. It's a very enjoyable taste." I nodded and then swallowed more tea. I've said it many times but I just can't get enough of tea. Tea and Loki. Oh dear. "Is that so?" Damn it. I cleared my throat.  
"No. I was lying." I said simply and then sipped more of my delicious beverage. Loki looked at me, amused.  
"Lying is a sin, Alfirin." He told me with a glint in his eyes. I swallowed.  
"Then I'm going to hell." I replied with what I hoped was a suggestive tone. He cocked an eyebrow.  
"I'm sure you'll go to hell for more _scandalous_ things than lying." He said. Oh dear Gods… Oh yeah? Well, take this!  
"Oh, you have _no_ idea, Loki. _No_ idea." I replied in a more sultry tone. What was I thinking?

Loki's eyes seemed to darken and his grip on the mug tightened so much that his knuckles went white and the mug seemed to crack a little. "Don't break the mug, Loki." I teased with an eyebrow raised. It did nothing to help him. In fact, it worsened his, uh… state. He didn't move but I could have sworn I heard a small animalistic growl coming from his chest. I'm not gonna lie; it turned me on. Hell, everything about this man turned me on. _Oh no… He can read my thoughts… Only when I have great emotion though or intending to speak to him… Does arousal count as an emotion?_ Apparently, it does. He pounced.

The tea seemed not to matter anymore. Loki was a _little_ more addictive than I had initially thought. So, basically, he put the mug down incredibly fast and then leaned right over me when he had been on the other side of a table. His strangely soft lips attacked my neck and I was gasping for breath. Do I ever get a break? It would seem not. It felt strange to have the man almost straddling me and he seemed to agree. So he flipped us with his stupid, inhuman, incredible strength. Well, it shouldn't take a lot of strength but he did it so _effortlessly_. Now, I was straddling his hips and he still had his lips glued to my neck. As pleasurable as it felt, I wanted to make him feel it. Yeah, let him feel how helpless I am! Take that, Loki! So I moved my neck out of the way and kissed his neck instead. The reaction was instant.

He groaned and tipped his head back to delight in the feeling _I_ was giving him. I kissed his pulse a few times and then traced my lips around his collar bone. I was lucky so far; Loki hadn't found my 'weak spot'. If he had, I'd be putty in his hands. He'd be able to do anything he wanted, provided he returned to that spot every few minutes. My ex was a proper bastard and found it because he was impatient. He used the spot against me and… yeah. You get the picture.

Loki groaned particularly loudly with his eyes closed and that was when I knew that I had found it. I licked it a few times and his moans were absolutely delicious. He was shivering and I wanted to laugh at him, if I'm honest. What happened to the control? I'll tell you. I stole it! Hahahahaha! "You're simply… evil…" Loki managed to get out in a strangled voice. I smirked into his spot.  
"I know. And this here's the reason why I'll be going to hell." And then I bit him. His eyes shot open and he gasped exceptionally loudly. "Told ya." I murmured into his neck and all he could do was breathe heavily.  
"And I thought… breathing… without you… near was… difficult…" Loki gasped out. He did too?  
"Well, so did I but look at us now." I whispered. Now, to continue or to stop and deprive him? A tricky choice…

I unstuck my lips from his neck and got up from the chair and his lap. He still seemed to be recovering so I allowed him a little while longer in my chair. As he watched me, still breathing deeply, I winked and picked up my tea again. He grinned massively and then closed his eyes. "And this is why you interest me, my lady." He mumbled. I smiled.

**Well, more steamy stuff going on here! I should probably add more plot but writing this is so fun! If you want more plot line and less citrus, just let me know in a review or something and I'll try to do so! But if you like the citrus, then great ;D I've been really busy, emotionally and physically (even mentally), so I'm sorry for lack of updates :/ I've been writing stories, getting them as far as I can before I get too impatient, and then posting. I hope you guys don't mind! Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	5. Chapter 5

A knock at the door interrupted my staring contest with Loki. Loki had stayed for a few hours now and it was about… 20:00 now. So, yeah, I was sitting in my chair by now because I had managed to coax Loki out of it (don't ask how) and now we were just staring at each other. I suppose it wasn't really a staring contest. It was more just 'stare at each other until Alfirin gets all hot and bothered'. It was a fun game for Loki. So, the knock interrupted our little game and I huffed a little, getting a chuckle from the handsome man on the sofa.

I opened the door and was met with one of the prettiest faces I had ever seen in my life. Colin was behind her with a hopeful grin on his face. "I presume you're Gracelyn." I said nicely. She smiled a dazzling smile and nodded.  
"I've heard so much about you, Alfirin. And I love your name." She complimented. I thanked her and then invited them both in. Colin's eyes were automatically on Loki. He grinned slyly at me. I swear, his grins would just break his face. Probably after I did so for him. "I see Loki is here. You didn't tell me you invited him over." He said with a wink. I remained stony in expression.  
"Actually, I didn't. He just wandered in." I said evenly. Colin frowned.  
"I thought only _you_ had a key." He caught me out. Damn it. How was I going to explain it? I'd only known him for 3 days so giving him the key when Colin needed one more was silly.  
"You'd left the door unlocked when I arrived." Loki answered for me. I thanked him telepathically and he made no response except a slight nod of the head.

"So, tell me about yourself, Alfirin." Gracelyn said while she sipped coffee. Coffee was nice and all but come on, tea is just… Nom. This was the thing that I had least been looking forward to. Okay, just say the usual stuff anyone would.  
"Well, I'm 25. My parents are dead. I work in a library with a friend. My brother is my best friend as well. I think you're very pretty. I'm in a kind of relationship thing with Loki, here. I live in this house. My favourite colour is green, obviously, and I love the rain." And then I stopped. Gracelyn laughed, a sort of a tinkling sound, and shook her head with mirth.  
"You are something, aren't you?" The way she said it gave me shivers. That sentence… Those words just gave me a sense of… foreboding, if you will. I nodded nervously and sipped more of my tea.

I watched Colin and Gracelyn interact mostly rather than converse. They seemed to get along pretty well. She usually initiated the contact, like putting a hand on his knee when he recounted a memory or when he complimented her. His smile never left his face. I hadn't seen him this happy in a while. Colin seemed to really enjoy her company and after a while, he forgot Loki and I were even there. So, while they spoke aloud, we spoke telepathically. _They seem happy._ I thought with a very soft sigh. I felt Loki's eyes settle on me. _Are you happy for them?_  
_Why wouldn't I be?  
Perhaps you feel like Colin has been effectively stolen. Or is Gracelyn giving you a strange feeling as well?_ So I wasn't the only one. As my brother and his new girlfriend spoke more about things that didn't concern us, I focussed on her expressions and tones. I suppose I was a little jealous of the fact that she had 'stolen' him from me. I knew that I would always have Colin as a brother but he had hardly spoken to me today. I sighed a little louder and looked at Loki with a slightly forlorn expression. _A bit of both._ I confessed. Loki didn't respond but he watched me closely. I looked away quickly, hoping he wouldn't deem me weak. I mean, come on, he's a God. I can't seem weak to a God. I glanced at Gracelyn and then I was angry. She was watching Loki.

She looked away when Colin spoke to her again but Gracelyn kept glancing at Loki at every loophole. I felt uncomfortable and I knew that Loki could feel my sheer jealousy and indignation. He smirked a little but did nothing more. He was being all _strong and silent_. I rolled my eyes as there was a knock at my door. I frowned and stood, the conversation between Colin and Gracelyn having stopped. I walked over and opened it. Francesca. Again.

She walked right in. I rolled my eyes and shut the door. "Thank God, Allie, you should have answered your cell phone." I narrowed my eyes. I had forgotten she had spent many of her years in America.  
"Francesca, I threw my _mobile_ away when everyone kept calling me for little unimportant things when I could be doing something _important_, like reading." Francesca ignored my comment and walked completely into the lounge. Her eyes settled on the three people seated.

She first looked at Colin. She seemed to be happy to see him as he stood to greet her. Francesca threw herself into Colin's arms and he awkwardly returned the hug. He looked at me with a slightly confused expression and I shrugged. When Francesca released him, she saw Gracelyn. I moved along, back to my seat and beside Loki, and watched her closely. Both of them. They made eye contact and I took note of each emotion that passed through their eyes. Francesca: A hint of spite and then… understanding? Mutual feelings? With Gracelyn? I shrugged it off. Gracelyn: Suspicion and then the mutual feelings. Something told me that they had met before. _I see you get the same idea._ I nodded slightly to Loki's observation. I had a feeling that they would get along rather well.

And then Francesca looked at Loki. Damn it, why did he have to be here still? This was going to be just plain embarrassing. _Brace yourself_, I warned him. His eyes flickered to mine at my little caution. And to prove me right, she stood right in front of him. "And who's _this_ guy?" She asked me incredously, giving me the look. You know the one: why-didn't-you-introduce-us-sooner? I rolled my eyes. "He's called Loki." I answered her. _And you can't have him_. I added silently. She didn't get the hint but I think a smirk flashed onto Loki's face for a moment. She grinned flirtatiously and took a step further towards him. "Hey, I'm Francesca. But _you_ can call me Frankie." You can just _tell_ that she's in over her head, can't you? She's just… Ugh. Loki's face remained indifferent.  
"It's nice to meet you, Francesca." _How's that for a burn?_ I thought with a little smile on my face. Francesca took no notice of this.

"Any room on that chair for me?" She asked him with her large brown eyes rounded to take on the impression of a dog.  
"I believe, since this is an armchair, that it is only fit for one person." Loki replied with an eyebrow raised. It did nothing to deter Francesca, unfortunately.  
"I'm sure it can fit two people, if they don't mind close contact." She implied with a little giggle. Ugh, I nearly gagged. Yuck. That did not taste nice. _She managed a two syllable word. I'm impressed._ I laughed out loud. Damn it. Everyone, except Loki, looked at me funny and I just put a hand, indicating it did not matter. Stupid God. Making me laugh like that. I'll end him. Sooner or later. "Well, if this seat was able to handle two people, I would have Alfirin sit here with me. But she seems rather comfortable beside me in her own seat." He responded coolly. Nearly blushed. _Nearly_. Francesca turned to me. I didn't look at her. If looks could kill… Well, I still wouldn't be able to die…

"I see." She said in a clipped tone and then sat beside Gracelyn. Gracelyn appeared amused by the matter and then I noticed that Colin had gone to the kitchen. _I'm going to see Colin. Think you'll be able to survive?_ I asked, almost sarcastically.  
_I'm sure I shall, my lady._ Stupid God. I nodded inwardly and stood up to go find Colin. I needed a proper conversation with him now.

He was leaning against the counter and appeared to be deep in thought. I walked silently over and leaned next to him, adopting the same position. He didn't look up. Even after I waved a hand in front of his face, he did not notice me next to him. So, I decided to think about Gracelyn. She had very light brown hair, nearly blonde but still just dark enough to be classified as brunette. Her hair was long, down to the bottom of her shoulder blades and rather straight. She had light blue eyes that sparked innocence and freckles danced over her nose. Her teeth were _insanely_ white and her smile was contagious. To others anyway. Personally, I felt like she was a bit… off. I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character. Loki noticed it as well, so it can't just be me… Something about her just screams false.

"What are you thinking about?" Colin's shoulder bumped my own and therefore bumped me out of my thoughts. I smiled weakly. There was no way I was going to tell him that his new girlfriend seemed suspicious. "Oh, just, stuff, ya know." I said vaguely. Colin grinned.  
"You were thinking about _Loki_, weren't you." He stated instead of asked. I rolled my eyes but decided to go along with it.  
"Maaayyybe…" I joked and we laughed a little. When the laughter died down, it disappeared in a sad tone. I missed the times when we could laugh about anything… Now it felt like my brother had sort of gone. Like there was something of him missing. He looked like he felt it too. Colin enveloped me in a hug and held me tight as I returned the embrace. It felt so good to be wrapped up in his arms again. I felt safe and secure. "Don't change, Colin." I whispered into his shoulder, my voice cracking a little. Damn my haywire emotions. Colin didn't mind though. If I broke down, it was in front of him. "Don't worry, Allie. I'm not going to." He promised me and for some reason, I didn't believe him.

"Is there anything I can do?" A masculine voice sounded behind me and I pulled away slowly to see that it was Loki. I smiled gently, not wanting to crack my mask.  
"Everything's fine, Loki." I whispered. Of course, he knew full well that it wasn't and the look he gave me told this wasn't over. I sighed softly and nodded, almost invisible to the eye. "I trust they didn't tear you apart too much?" I changed the subject. Colin smirked as he sneaked into my cupboards. I quickly turned around and slapped his hand away. "And what do you think you're doing?" I reprimanded him. He held his hand like it was limp and made whimpering noises, like a puppy. I cocked an eyebrow. "Damn it, that usually works." He whined, giving up the pathetic act. I sighed dramatically.  
"Fine. But leave some for me. Last time, you ate them all in under 20 minutes. I'm sure you remember the consequences?" The last sentence had a slight hint of death in it. He got the idea and nodded forlornly and then quickly grabbed the biscuits I knew he wanted out of the cupboard. As he tried to open them, I shook my head disapprovingly at him and gently touched Loki's arm. "Come on. The girls will be wondering where their sex God is. They won't like the fact that I've got him right here." I said with a wink and pulled him through. As I walked past, Loki's arm coasted all the way up my body and I threw a smirk back at him as he followed. His eyes promised me more. And I would hold him to that.

The day was going too slowly for my taste. I shamefully admit that I wanted Francesca, Gracelyn and Colin to leave. I'm such a hypocrite, I've realized. I want Colin to spend time with me yet when I actually can, I choose Loki. This whole 'Other' business is confusing me. I didn't like how this making me feel. I knew I couldn't change it but what scared was whether I wanted to or not. "What do _you_ think, Allie?" Francesca asked me a little rudely. I looked up from my hands on my lap.  
"What?" I asked dumbly. They laughed at me. _How rude._ Only Loki managed to refrain from laughing. Didn't stop that sexy smirk stretching across his face though. Stupid God. That's my term of endearment for him. "We wanted to know what you thought of the upcoming party." I didn't react. "You know? The party?" Didn't shift at all. "You _didn't_ know?" Okay, I did wince that time because Francesca just screeched. Ow.

"Oh my god, _everyone_ is invited! Well, I say _everyone_, I mean people who have degrees in Literature, Language, Physics, stuff like that. It's a smart-arse party." Gracelyn informed me with a slightly lower tone than Francesca. Still winced.  
"Of course, Gracie will be going and Colin will too." Francesca said sweetly. _Gracie? How much did I miss?_ Loki chuckled mutely and I ignored his stare as much as possible. "You'll be going too, won't you, Allie?" She then turned to me, looking at me expectantly. I swallowed.  
"I suppose…" I replied lowly. I hated parties. With a passion. And, come on, a dress? What about my scars? What about my burns? What… What? _Calm down, love. All will be fine._ I shivered. Shamelessly. Yep, _without_ shame for once! "What do you have a degree in then, Alfirin?" Gracelyn asked me. I had not yet given her permission to call me by Allie. I don't think I ever would. I simply would not allow her.

"I have a degree in Astronomy (**Hell yeah!**) and Literature, mostly in the writing rather than annotating." I replied not half as strongly as I would have hoped. This party thing was wearing me down. "When is the event?" Colin shrugged. _Yeah, that was helpful, Colin_.  
"It's on the 18th of July, a Saturday. It begins at 7:00 pm and ends at 2:00 am." Gracelyn answered for him, giving him a playful shove. Colin beamed at her, positively love struck. When he turned to get another biscuit, she glanced at Loki. I snapped inside. But did I let it show? No, I didn't. Because I'm a master of concealing emotions. Except from Loki. Because he's… Loki. I checked my watch. Doing a quick calculation in my head, I worked out that the three on the other side of the coffee table had stayed over for approximately 3 hours. Enough was enough.

I stood up and put on my best joking smile ever. It could have blinded a mole. "Right, you lot are tiring me out! I still need to think of what to do for dinner and I can't do that with you hanging around here." I fussed un-necessarily. They all smiled and rose to their feet. If they knew that they were irritating me, they showed no signs of it. I gave Colin one last squeeze, Francesca an awkward hug back without breaking my back and Gracelyn a handshake. As soon as they were out, I closed the door, ignoring their comments on how Loki had remained in my house and not them. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned my head against the door. "Having friends and family is so tiring." I observed lowly.

**Not much citrus! Dun dun duunnnn! Still, introduced a new character, a new event and a new thinking phase for Alfirin. I'm not sure whether you guys like Alfirin or not :P I figured because she's a little different and has had loads of problems during life, she'd be a little different to my other characters… Who am I kidding, take a look at Solace! She's mentally insane! Oh well, this'll do. I wanted it to be realistic but, come on, writing about being the soul mate of a God isn't very realistic at all, is it? So, this is difficult because I MUST keep Loki as in character as possible. And so far, I've done a pretty shitty job. Oh, rhyme! :D Anyway, hope you guys didn't find this too abysmal. Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	6. Chapter 6

"You're _really_ good-looking, you know. Like, _really really_ good-looking. It almost hurts. Which is grossly unfair." I was in the kitchen, making us some dessert. Dinner had been alright. It had been spaghetti. Ever tried eating spaghetti politely in front of an insanely sexy God? No, didn't think so. It's difficult, I'll tell you now. I didn't actually know where my Other was. I had a feeling he was in the living room still or he might have gone upstairs. So, I wasn't expecting the hand on my hip and a sudden presence right behind me. He's sneaky. "Well, aren't you a ninja?" I teased as I mixed the cream. Dessert was going to be a simple fruit salad thing. With a dollop of yummy cream of course. Loki nodded as he placed his head upon mine. I cursed his height and he merely placed his head on mine more thoroughly, so that it wouldn't fall off if he let it go limp and heavy. I twisted my wrist back and forth to rid myself of the dreaded cramp that constant whisking caused. I made to pick up the whisk again but Loki beat me to it. He took it and began whisking up the cream _really_ fast. His hand was like a blur. I could barely make out the whi- Nope, couldn't even see it anymore. I watched in wonder as the cream was done in seconds. How did he even do that? Loki laid the whisk down and waited for my judging. I cleared my throat. "Hm, 9 out 10." I sniffed.  
"_9_ out of 10? Is that all, my lady?" His voice sounding amused. I nodded.  
"Well, it would have been 10 had you multi-tasked during it. But for now, it's a 9." I said with a little grin and pushed past him to get the fruits out of the fridge. They had initially been for Colin and I but since he was out, or rather sent out, Loki and I would share it. What could _possibly_ go wrong?

A lot. I was sitting in my chair, having some lovely fruit and cream. Loki was sitting opposite me, rather than the seat next to mine. I didn't question him why. I never found that seat comfortable, but then again, I had never found seat other than my own comfortable. The cream was whisked to perfection, thanks to Loki's 9 out of 10 performance and the fruit was sweet and juicy. I had just placed a bit of apple in my mouth when I looked at what Loki was doing. _Why_? He was licking the cream off of his fingers. While keeping his eyes locked on me. His face did not show any expression but his eyes indicated it was intended to frustrate me and probably make me blush. It did.

After another 4 minutes, I growled at him. He didn't stop and I saw a little glint in his eyes. He was satisfied with my reaction. Damn it. I put my empty bowl on the table. Loki appeared to have already eaten his fruit and now he was left with a large dollop of cream. Large enough to send me tipping over the edge of sanity. I slammed my hands on the arms of the chair. "I swear, Loki, if you don't stop doing that, I'll either go over there and kiss you or I'll throw you out." Hm, not quite what I had in mind with the kissing but oh well. I can't take it back now. He grinned somewhat evilly and I gulped. What a bastard. _A sexy, infuriating, stupid, good-looking, evil, brilliant bastard. That's what you are._ I didn't look at him until he was finished. When I did look up, he was gone.

I frowned at his absence. I didn't even hear him leave. Or… teleport or whatever. "My lady…" A breath whispered by my ear and I jerked out of my seat, searching for the evil wretch that did that to me. Loki was nowhere to be seen. "Tut, tut, try harder." I spun around and still, there was no one there. Stupid Loki had turned invisible. And he was so silent! I could feel him circling so I turned every so often, feeling self-conscious since he could see me and I could not see him. "This is not funny, Loki." I hissed at thin air. I heard a chuckle, from where I could not tell, but I ignored as best as I could. "You're being immature, Loki." Again, he just laughed, but this time it seemed closer. Perhaps a few feet closer to me. I wanted to be able to see his shadow but he was a sorcerer in Asgard. That and he was a God. Yeah, that scuppered my plans.

"Are you giving up, my lady?" Loki murmured, _much_ closer to me now. I could even feel his lips brushing my ear. Or was that my imagination? I couldn't tell. I gulped. "Is that a _yes_?" I noticed his voice was a little husky. My stomach dropped like an anvil and it felt like it had descended into hell; the heat was almost too much to bear. "N-no…" I stammered, "What would m-make you think that?"  
"A number of things, my lady." The voice felt like it was nearly inside my head. It echoed around my brain and through my ears. My lips tingled for a moment. I nearly frowned at it. Why did they tingle? They tingled again. I pressed my lips together, wondering if it would rid me of the feeling. It did. I returned them to normal and my heart beat faster. When my mouth opened for a breath, something grazed the lips again. I exhaled shakily and I could feel some of the breath hit something, making it hit me again. Loki was in front of me. "Do you give up?" He growled into my ear, his cheek resting next to mine, his soft skin seeming to tease me. I shook my head the slightest bit and breathed out, knowing my breath hit his neck now. "No. I know where you are now." I replied, just as quietly, but stronger than my previous statements. His chuckle rumbled through his chest and he took a step even _closer_. Can he even do that? How close had we been before? How close were we now? To find out, I pushed my hands out opposite to my chest. It hit his chest almost immediately. _That_ close.

The spell stopped abruptly and now I could see Loki right in front of me. His face was still hidden to me since it was beside my own. His clothing was different. He wore a long black coat with a golden item on his chest, just above where my hands still rested. There was green on the lapel and he appeared to be wearing some sort of battle suit but with hardly any armour. It looked simply delectable on him.

"Loving the suit." I whispered as I turned my head slightly to meet his own ear. Loki chuckled breathily into my ear and the breath caused me to shiver. Damn him. Damn God. "I'm glad you like it." He mumbled with a smile in his voice. And then the unexpected happened: there was a flash of lightning, a rumble of thunder and a man stood in the room beside us.

**A really short chapter but I got a little stuck so I figured some citrus and a surprise visit would make you happy anyway Cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed it! Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	7. Chapter 7

He had blonde hair down to his shoulders that looked like majestic but the sort of hair you'd expect of a warrior. He wore silver armour with a red cape. He was also armed with a hammer. I recognised him almost immediately as Thor, with his trusty hammer, Mjolnir. He seemed confused for a moment and then his eyes focussed on Loki and mine compromising position. It wasn't _too_ bad. If you didn't know what was going on (and if you were extremely naïve), it would appear that he had been telling me a secret. Thor's eyes went stormy. Get it? Stormy? Because he's Thor? God of Thunder? Get it? Oh, I crack myself up sometimes.

"Brother…" Thor said strongly and Loki straightened up stiffly. Loki had not even looked at him yet.  
"No. Not _brother_." He said coldly and then looked at his 'not brother'. Loki stepped back from me and immediately I felt colder. The tension in the room was thick and I felt like I could scarcely breathe. This time, it was not to do with close proximity or no proximity to Loki. I gulped as Thor took a step towards his brother, almost pleadingly. Loki did not move. "Why are you in the land of Britain? You and I both know the bifrost leads the land of America."  
"A change of scenery." Loki answered in an emotionless tone.

Thor's eyes swivelled to mine. "Who is this, Loki?" He asked curiously, taking a step towards me. I took a step back because, as much as it pains me, Thor frightened me. Hello, he created thunderstorms! One of the things I hate! He looked strong enough to crush me with his fingers! I'm not one for being frightened, since I can't die I have little to fear, but Thor was a God. I didn't know whether he could kill me or not. And I wouldn't want to continue living as a splatter on the floor.

Loki took a step towards me while Thor looked at me like I was the weirdest organism he had ever seen. Me being me, I couldn't help but make some kind of scathing remark, despite my fear. "Staring is impolite, Thor." I growled. He seemed surprised that I knew who he was and stepped back but continued to watch me.  
"She is none of your concern, Thor." Loki warned. He ignored him and then began to circle me. I could feel his eyes scanning my entire body, taking in what he could and couldn't see. I felt uncomfortable, to say the least, and I refused to have eye contact with Loki. He'd see just as scared as I was. "She is a very pretty mortal, brother… But why are you in her home? And in your battle garments no less." Loki's jaw clenched and still Thor continued to stare at me, giving me the elevator eyes constantly. "As I said before, Thor, she is _none of your concern_." Loki hissed and I could feel him getting close to boiling point. _Why can't we tell him?_ I asked him telepathically. Loki's gaze fell on me. _Because I cannot trust him. Not now._ I took a big breath.

"What makes her special, Loki?" Thor asked loudly. We both froze. He had figured out I was different already? He was a better judge of character than I thought. "You can't be remaining here with her without a reason. Does she have some sort of power? An ability? Is she merely a trophy on your arm? She's nice to look at but I thought you had higher standards." On the inside, I knew he meant not to insult me. But my brain registered it as offense and I snapped.

"Who are _you_ to tell me how I look? Who are _you_ to question who _I _am? Why should Loki answer your questions? You have no right to interrogate either of us, not in my house, God or not! So I suggest you lose your hostility and your arrogance and sit down so we can explain, Thor." I shouted indignantly, taking a step closer to him every few words and jabbing a finger at him and then at a seat. He seemed extremely surprised that a mere mortal had answered back to him, a high and mighty God. After a few moments of standing there, opening his mouth and closing it like a goldfish, he sat down. In my seat. "Off." I growled, jerking a thumb behind me. He stood immediately. I had a feeling I had frightened him a little, despite his power. "Sit _there_. Not _there_. _That_ is _my_ seat." I told him and he nodded fervently, sitting on the sofa opposite. I nodded and then looked at Loki. He didn't say anything. Aloud. _When he's gone, I'm going to be all over you. Just a fair warning_.

After gulping, ignoring the heat in the pit of my stomach and failing to conceal a blush, I looked at Thor. "Now, I'm not actually sure what's going on between you two, but I think I'm going to be here for a while." I said, noticeably looking at Loki crisply, and then returning my gaze to Thor, "So, I think you should tell me what _is_ going on and then, we'll see how much time we have left because I'm bloody exhausted." Thor nodded slowly.

"Loki is my brother, always has been and always will be, I swear it, and-." Loki cut across.  
"I'm _not_ your brother. I never have been and I never will be. _Father_ is to blame for that." He spat and Thor winced. I cleared my throat and regained their attention.  
"When you're quite done, Thor will continue his story?" Neither spoke so I nodded at the God of Thunder.  
"Loki is the one of the Princes of Asgard. As you know, he's the God of Mischief and Lies, and I am Thor, the God of Thunder. Loki and I are the heirs to the throne." Thor explained, his voice softening. "When I claimed Mjolnir, I was named the official heir to the throne. I could never tell if Loki was jealous or not but if he was, he did a magnificent job of hiding it." He had a hint of a grin on his face as he said this and when I looked at my Other, he appeared to have a nostalgic look on his face. "Everything changed, however, when Odin, our father, told Loki the truth." I swallowed thickly. "Loki is not one of us. He is a Frost Giant."

If I'm honest, I had been expecting something a _little_ bigger, like an assassination attempt or something, but a hidden heritage was pretty big too. "When did he tell you?" I whispered, directing my question at Loki.  
"Very recently. A few months ago." His voice was monotonous and had very little emotion in it. I sighed and nodded. I wanted to hug him. But Loki didn't seem like the 'huggy-type' and with Thor here, contact had to be kept to a minimum. When I looked back at Thor, his eyes held nothing but nostalgia, sadness and regret. Thor seemed more… human than Loki. More capable of emotions than Loki. I think that is one of the reasons I always liked Loki so much more than other men. He didn't fuss about emotions. He let them come only if they were necessary.

"Loki wanted world domination as revenge. He wanted to show Asgard that he was worthy of being a prince still." Thor spoke abruptly.  
"I think I can speak for myself, _brother_." Loki hissed at Thor but he did not withdraw. Thor looked at me pleadingly. What he was begging for, I could not tell. I looked back at Loki but he did not give any indication as to what I should do. Should I tell him? I asked him through our unique connection. The response did not come straight away. _If you wish, my lady. But you'll be the one to explain_. I nodded, too slight for Thor to notice. _Where did your silvertongue go, God of Mischief and Lies?_ I teased and then looked back at the God of Thunder before me.

"You have told me what it is that has caused all of the stress between the both of you so it is only right that I return the information you wanted." Thor leaned forwards in his seat, eager to know what role I played in Loki's life, "Your Other is Jane. Odin's Other is Frigga. Loki's Other is me." I said bluntly. _What happened to yours?_ Loki taunted in retaliation to my previous mockery. I ignored him and concentrated on Thor. His face was shocked at first and then it brightened like the sun. He stood with a massive grin upon his face. "Brother, this is marvellous! Now you'll know love's true power!" And then he sobered a little, "But, this woman must be special because you are not abhorrent to her being near you, like so many other mortals. Tell me, what has spiked your interest in this woman?" He asked curiously. Loki did not answer. He wanted to know if I was comfortable with Thor's knowing. "I'm going to be involved in this for a while, so I suppose he should know…" I said reluctantly. That was _2_ more people who now knew of my _disorder_. This shouldn't become a habit.

Thor looked at Loki with a confused expression and Loki nodded. "Alfirin… cannot die." He said with the slightest bit of remorse in his voice. "She is immortal, like us." I don't know what I expected Thor to react like but it certainly wasn't going to be joyful. His face split into a beam and he laughed _very_ loudly. He even went as far as to clap Loki on the shoulder, his masculinity almost overpowering poor Loki. But even I saw the hint of amusement and acceptance in Loki's eyes when they acted like brothers again. "This is brilliant, Loki! You can be together for the rest of your never-ending lives! Times will be hard but with the both of you at each other's side for eternity, nothing can stop you!" Loki's eyes glinted at that comment and I smiled. An eternity with Loki… I could live with that. Obviously.

**Dun, dun, duuunnn! Thor has made an appearance, Alfirin now knows his secret, Thor knows hers and I'm wondering if you guys caught the hint at the end? With Loki? I'm sure you did now anyway since I mentioned it XD. Hope you guys enjoyed that. More citrus next chapter and then the chapter after will have more plot line. Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	8. Chapter 8

"It was a mighty pleasure meeting you, Alfirin." Thor said with a sly grin as he bowed, took my hand and placed a kiss on it. I smiled softly. After the conversation about my condition, Thor and I got to know each other more, since we'd be seeing each other more often now. Thor was brash, arrogant but considerate and he loved Midgard. I liked Thor but he still frightened me nonetheless. "It was lovely meeting you too, Thor. Come back soon after you've seen Jane." Yes, Thor would be visiting Jane and later, I would meet her. She sounded nice, nicer than Gracelyn. Oh damn… I had completely forgotten about Gracelyn and Colin and Francesca…

"Of course, Alfirin. I shall see you both soon. Farewell." And with that, he called a storm (I'm not even sure how) and disappeared when another flash of lightning enveloped the room. When I moved my arm from where it had been to shield my eyes, Loki was standing on the other side of the room. He had a devious smirk on his face that made my heart simply melt. "I believe I told you that I'd be all over you when Thor left." He spoke lowly and I gulped.  
"Then why are you all the way over there? I can hardly breathe." I countered. He chuckled darkly and took slow, calculating steps towards me.  
"I felt I should warn you again." Loki explained as his eyes moved over my body ruthlessly. My body felt a little violated after being scanned by his brother but I felt more at ease now. I suppose that I had grown so used to Loki now that if I wasn't in his company, I did not feel myself anymore. I was tense without him a few feet away. It was uncomfortable to say the least.

Loki stopped roughly 6 inches away and he positively towered over me. His looming presence just made me lose the breath that I lost when he wasn't near me either. He's so addicting though… "Are you going to just stand there?" I inquired in a slightly impatient tone but he remained stock-still. I inhaled deeply and it was then that I realized he had a scent. It was musty, like old books, but it had a less powerful aroma. You'd have to be standing in close proximity to the man in order to smell it. "You smell absolutely amazing." I whispered and he cocked his head to the side. Loki still did not step forwards or make any indication he was going to move. And then he pretty much swooped in.

His face went straight to my neck and he inhaled deeply, like I had done. It seemed that I had an aroma as well. "You smell incredible as well, my lady." He mumbled into my neck, the sensation sending shivers down my spine and heat to my stomach. I grinned as he nuzzled my neck. Damn it, when did he get so good-looking? And then lightning flashed through the room once more.

We jumped apart, looking for Thor. Where was he? We frowned when we couldn't see him anywhere. I looked outside the window to find a cloudy day but not dim enough to be a storm. "What was that?" I asked Loki, hoping he might have answers. He looked at me shaking his head and then froze. "What?" I was feeling nervous now. Slowly, Loki looked back at me and his eyes seemed curious.  
"How exactly did you get your immortality?" I gulped and sighed a little.  
"I was struck… by lightning…" I pieced it together. Holy shit… I had super powers.

"I always wondered who the woman that Thor accidentally struck was…" Loki muttered to himself and my head snapped back to him. He hadn't intended me to hear that but hear it I did.  
"He WHAT?" I shouted. He didn't flinch. In fact, he seemed amused.  
"Thor was feeling rebellious because Fath-Odin punished him. Thor fuelled his rage into lightning and he sent it to Midgard. He had not counted on it striking a mortal but he covered it up. He thought she died. He thought _you_ died." As his sentence wore on, his voice became more distressed and angry. Why, I could not tell, but I figured he would tell me when he was ready.  
"So… Thor has given me this… curse." I whispered, finally understanding. The truth was out. The revelation was shocking. It hurt. Loki looked at me in sympathy but I ignored it. I didn't want sympathy. I wanted pay-back.

"THOR!" I screamed at the top of my voice. I didn't know if he would appear but he did. The flash of lightning told me he was here and I spun around looking for him. But he wasn't there. I frowned and then cursed loudly. "It seems that when you are feeling great emotion, you lose control and your powers make themselves known…" Loki muttered, mostly to himself.  
"Thor, if you don't get your sorry arse down here, I _swear_ I will make you rue the day you came into existence!" That did summon him.

As soon as the lightning faded and he was standing in front of me, I strode over and punched him. I didn't expect a reaction but he went flying through the air, colliding with my wall. I just stood there, my fist still up from where it made contact with his jaw. Loki did nothing but watch with wide eyes. Slowly, Thor stood and to my complete and utter surprise, he didn't appear angry. Just shocked. "Why… in Odin's name would you do that?" He asked, his voice a little slurred due to his jaw's pain.  
"You bloody struck me with lightning, you bastard!"

Thor's brow creased as he tried to focus on what I was saying. As I waited for him to finally comprehend what I said, I wondered what his reaction be. Would he be angry? Would he be relieved? Would he just accept it and leave? He was about to answer my questions. His face lit up. "You didn't die!" He exclaimed happily and then wrapped me up into his arms. That was not what I had been expecting.

I can only imagine how silly we must have looked. My face was just the definition of shock and his was of joy. Hang on, since when did I allow _Thor_ of all people to hug me? I pushed him off of me and he stumbled back. Looking down at my hands, I didn't see anything remarkable in them. Thor was getting over the shock at the second time that I had done that. Loki appeared to be thinking. I looked at him with a frightened expression. "What's happening to me?" I whispered shakily. He snapped out of it and gazed at me, taking in my emotions and thoughts. He then smiled softly.  
"The lightning Thor hit you with has given you some of his powers. In this case, his strength, his lightning and his immortality." Loki explained gently.

"But I still have my abilities." Thor argued with a frown. Loki shook his head.  
"You have merely transmitted a portion, from what I can tell. It's more that you've sent the _idea_ to her and she's developed." I rolled my eyes.  
"Hey, I _am_ here." I raised my hand a little. No one chuckled but the tension decreased a little. It had been near to suffocating.

"So… I have 'inherited' Thor's abilities by lightning… Why have they only just come to show?" It just didn't make sense to me. It could have happened at any time. It puzzled me, that's for sure. Any time… I could have nearly killed someone at any time. "No, do not think like that." Loki cut through my thoughts with his sharp tongue. Damn… I wonder what his tongue is like… Oh damn it. "I'll ignore that thought for now but you can be certain I'll act on it later." I'd hold him to that. "Now, your lightning and inhuman strength only make themselves known when you're feeling great emotion. For example, earlier when we were _busy_. And then again when you struck Thor." I frowned.  
"So… If I had lost control of my emotions… I could have killed someone in anger." The realization was baffling and, if I'm honest, incredible. The power suddenly felt intoxicating. Loki looked at me with a new glint in his eyes. Something I did not understand. "I… don't know what to say now." In all honesty, I had no idea what to do now. How did these new… developments make a difference to my life? I wouldn't become a superhero. I wouldn't end up helping people. I think if I saw someone getting mugged then I would end up intervening but I'm a coward. I wouldn't help, I would… Would I be a villain? Am I capable of being a person that is seen by others as selfish, evil and power-hungry? Everyone is capable of that. But… would I become corrupted? I looked to Loki with question in my eyes but his thoughts offered no comfort. If anything, his eyes confirmed it.

**Hopefully, this is satisfactory. See, more plot! :D Next chapter, MORE plot! The chapter after that… expect a first kiss ;) Between who though… You'll just have to wait and see! So, looks like you'll just HAVE to wait patiently! I can PROMISE you that this fic shall be finished. Top priority. I mean, come on, I saw this film about 2 weeks ago and I'm still hyped up about it. You can be pretty sure that I'll stick with this until the end. Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	9. Chapter 9

**Pre-Avengers and Post-Thor. Oh, and I LIED! *Meme blue face and moustache* I said last chapter that this one would have more plot and the next would have citrus and a first kiss. SWAPPED! YOU GET THAT CHAPTER NOW! FEEL EXCITED! Nothing too serious, by the way. No sex. Just… very steamy. **

"I think I want you to leave at the moment, Thor." Thor looked at me with confused eyes, "Yes, you didn't kill me and that's all fine and dandy. But you've been the source of my pain for 9 years now." I spoke with a detached tone. Slowly, Thor nodded and vanished without a word. But with a large flash of lightning and rumble of thunder that shook me to my core. I walked out of my living room and into my kitchen for no apparent reason, Loki following me.

I gulped and waited for either Loki to speak or for me to pluck up the courage to speak. I forced myself to look at my Other and sighed. "What do you want?" Loki asked me gently. There were so many things that I wanted. But I couldn't have them. For example, I wanted a normal life. Okay, that's not true. I liked excitement. This would be classed as some kind of supernatural, romantic adventure by other people. I classed it as nightmare. Sure, I had Loki who I knew would always make me feel better no matter the situation. But one day, he might not be there. He might have more pressing matters to attend to than a silly human who can't get her priorities or her emotions straightened out. So, when I looked at Loki, I saw all of his emotions burning in his eyes.

He was angry, sad, sympathetic, lusting, concerned, indifferent, loving and confused. I figured that I would tend to each of his emotions one at a time. So, I went with the one that would be easiest to help with. His lust. "You." I answered shortly and immediately his eyes darkened. This time, he didn't take slow maddening steps. He stalked over quickly and attacked my lips with his own.

He tasted… Can words describe it? No, they cannot. I think that my feeble human mind can only say: Simply divine. Or delicious. Delectable. Luscious. It was like I was kissing forbidden fruit, even though Loki was all _mine_. He was _mine_. I couldn't get that thought of my head. You know how us humans say that the perfect kiss contains fireworks, rockets and blooming flowers? Yeah, it's 10 times better with a soul mate from another fucking realm. Loki had experience, I was positive, but nothing could have prepared me.

The groan in the back of my throat set him off a little more because his hands clamped my shoulders, pulling me up to his face even more, as though he wanted to swallow me whole. My body was pulled up flush against his and my arms around his neck, fingers occasionally toying with the ends of his hair. Well, now they were just tangling themselves in his hair. Loki's hair was soft, I'm happy to say. Very soft. (**:3**) I was beginning to run out breath by this time to be honest.

I had to tear myself away from his brutally handsome face in order to breathe. His breaths were heavy and laboured, like my own. I didn't give him much time to recover; he was simply intoxicating. And addictive. I pulled Loki's face back to my own and our lips collided again. He pushed my lips open and slid his tongue in. _You do have a rather sharp tongue_. In reply, he jabbed my own tongue. Oh my Gods, he was just incredible. Loki's hands slid down my shoulders to my hips. He _lifted_ me up and sat me on the counter that I hadn't even felt pressing into my back. He then pushed his way through my legs. I was barely on the counter to be honest and if Loki had not been, ahem, right between my thighs, I would have fallen off. Just another service he provides.

He grabbed my belt loops and pulled me even closer, if that's possible, and still he kissed me. Loki was simply relentless. I wondered if I would get any sleep that night. I would have hoped so, I had work to go to. _Dear Gods, you're simply perfect._  
_And you taste absolutely divine._ My face must have reddened. There was no way a comment like that wouldn't. _I'm running out of breath here, Loki…_ And when he pulled away, he attached his lips to my neck instead. God damn it… On the bright side, I could gasp for breath all I wanted now. He licked my collarbone, searching frantically for my weak spot. I'm sorry to say he found it. And I'm ashamed to say I nearly passed out from a lack of oxygen.

"I have you right where I want you now… I could have you right now." Loki whispered haggardly, "Would you like that? Would you like to be screaming for mercy?" My only response was a very feminine gasp. His reaction was terrifying, arousing and very masculine. He thrust himself into me, we were still wearing clothes so don't get excited, and all I could feel was the need boiling up inside of me and the ecstasy. I guess you could say we were 'dry fucking'. If that's the correct term? It sounds very arousing, that's all I can say.

"Now… should I take you? Should I steal you and make you mine forever? Or should I stop and deprive you of pleasure I know you so desperately need and want." Loki's voice was right in my ear and in that moment, I felt that if he got any further away from me then he was then, I would go mad. Might as well chain us together. "I think… that's enough for today." And he withdrew from me. Completely. And I felt like I could kill him.

"You are the most… insufferable, evil, sexy, conceited, brilliant git ever!" I shouted angrily, ignoring the compliments I made as well. He grinned evilly and I think my underwear got a little damper than they already were. "No, don't even give me that sexy grin! I won't give in! I want you, right here and now, and you're not letting me!" I was rather pissed actually for such a simple thing. He cocked an eyebrow but his playful and evil demeanour didn't drop.  
"My sexy grin?" He questioned with an amused face. _I hate you! I bloody hate you! I finally get a kiss and you just… stop! Gah! Blah!_ I wasn't even making coherent sentences anymore, not even in my head. He silenced me, physically and my thoughts, by placing another chaste kiss on my mouth. He pulled away but didn't withdraw entirely. "Soon, my lady Alfirin. Soon."

I had gotten over my previous anger and was now dozing with my head on Loki's lap once more. The lust we had both felt had just exhausted me, not to mention my entire day was just so tiring. I met Thor, I met Gracelyn, I punched Thor, and I discovered the origins of my powers… Ugh, so much. I'd be happy for some sleep. "You're tired." Loki observed expertly.  
"Well done, Sherlock. Impressive observation." He made no response except for blinking. Of course, he wouldn't know what Sherlock was… "Tomorrow, I'm going back to work. Will you be dropping in?" Loki didn't even hesitate.  
"Of course, my lady." He replied while he stroked my hair.

"I'll have to introduce you to the fantastic world of Sherlock Holmes. It's not a fantasy, though it is but not in the way everyone else's dull mind thinks it is. It's classified as a Mystery/Suspense series. I think you'd like them." I announced and still Loki did not speak. If I said something pointless, he wouldn't reply, I had come to realize. It didn't bother me.

"… How soon?" I questioned quietly, knowing that he knew exactly what I was talking about. He continued to watch me and slowly he sighed.  
"I do not know. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the day after, perhaps next week." He answered vaguely. Yeah, cos that answers my question. I huffed a little and shook my head. We stayed silent until it was time for bed.

"Where exactly do you sleep?" I asked him as I went around my kitchen, making sure plug sockets and such were off. I'd been terrified of house fires since… well, you know. Loki was leaning against the counter, all sexy-like, and he was watching me, amused. "I have been remaining in a hotel since I arrived in Britain." He responded, crossing his arms over his chest. He was still wearing his battle outfit and my eyes were constantly drawn to the gold plating on his chest. He noticed but did not speak about it. His eyes told me he found it amusing.

"A hotel? Which one?" I hadn't expected a hotel. I don't know what I expected. But not a hotel. I wondered how far away it was. Was it the one just around the corner? The one on the other side of town? "It's the Diamond Standard." Loki scoffed, "I hardly think so." I laughed loudly. He was a prince and he went there? The name did fool many people. I recalled when I went there once. I was grossly disappointed. 'Grossly' being the keyword. "Stay here then." I said, still chuckling with mirth.  
"Here? With you? In your house?" Loki inquired.  
"Yes, here, with me, in my house." I replied with a smile. "Think about, you had only been around the corner from my house and I could hardly breathe. I'm not sure how far we can stray from each other but at night, you should remain here." I reasoned with him. He appeared to be thinking about it.

"Agreed." He said simply with a devious smile. I returned it and we walked into the living room, where I began turning off lights. I had even lit a few candles earlier and I went around, pulling my hair out of my way and blowing them out. "I'm afraid I don't have a guest room. So, it's either the couch, which is too small for your irritating height, or with me, which has _plenty_ of space for little old me." Of course, I wasn't implying anything. Not at all. It was only going to be _sleeping_ after all. Only _sleeping_. I looked up at Loki, his shoulders shaking with muted laughter. "I think the bed will suffice."

"And there you go, have a nice sleep, good night." I walked towards the door of the bedroom, leaving Loki surprised. Yeah, I chickened out. I'm a coward. I wouldn't be able to sleep in the same bed as him! That'd be torture! "And where do you think you're going?" Loki suddenly appeared in front of me, his arm leaning on the opposite door jamb, just low enough to stop me from moving past him. "I'm going downstairs. The sofa may be too small for you but it's big enough for me." I explained and then tried to push past him. He didn't budge and his seductive pose was making it difficult to even want to get away.

"I was under the impression that you were to be sleeping in here as well." Loki growled, not angrily though. More… possessively. Damn, he's just too good.  
"Yeah, so was I, but then I chickened out at the last moment." I informed him. He cocked his head and smirked. The pose and the smirk combined were just… oh my Gods, kill me. He stepped forwards, his body pushing me into the room. Loki closed the door behind him. Damn. "You'll be in here with me. Same room, same bed. No questions." Loki ordered and I found I didn't want to disobey him. Hell, why would I?

Typical. Bloody typical. All of my innocent pyjama bottoms and tops were in the wash. Colin thought it would be funny to buy me skimpy night dresses for my birthday every year in order to convince me to get a boyfriend. It didn't convince me and I never wore them. Only when I had no clean _normal_ pyjamas left would I wear them. I huffed. "What's wrong, my lady?" I turned to find Loki in a simple mortal top and pyjama pants. Damn, he looks fine…

"I only have night dresses left. Little night dresses. The rest of my pyjamas are in the wash." I complained, trying not to blush. Loki smirked and sat down on my bed with his arms spread out behind him and supporting him. "Wear one then. Do I look like I'll mind?" Blushing profusely, I took out a green on black lacing. I looked at it in disgust as I held it up. "Wear that one. I like it." Loki instructed and I sighed. I could hardly say no to such a beast. A sexy best. I walked into my bathroom and closed the door. Memories of earlier that day when I exited my shower made me colour even more. And then I thought about his reactions to my scars.

He didn't seem all that bothered actually. He seemed sympathetic and remorseful. He kissed them. He _kissed_ them. I still don't know why he did that. It just didn't make any sense. I hated them. They were just a constant reminder of my mistakes and bad decisions and my awful luck. When I removed my shirt, I turned around and looked at my back in the mirror, craning my neck to see them. Scars and burns criss-crossed all over my back, marring them repulsively. I was completely abhorrent to them and I cursed myself. Making my mind go blank so that I wouldn't suffer inwardly too much, I removed my trousers and then pulled the night dress on. It went to mid-thigh, much like my towel did early on. But this was silk and so it just hung off my skin. I'll admit, I felt like a model or someone who actually had someone who _appreciated_ their body. Apparently, Loki appreciated mine. So I placed my shirt and trousers in my washing basket, opened the door and stepped out. What a mistake.

Loki's eyes were already on the door when I had opened it and now they were stuck on me. I stood there silently, terrified of his reaction and praying that he would like it. Was this a mistake? Was this another one of my bad decisions? Apparently not. "I love it." Loki whispered huskily and I would have sighed with relief had I not been holding back a sigh of desire. Damn it. Stupid God. It felt like it had been a while since I had called him that. Stupid God. Ahhh, much better.

Slowly, like a predator, he got up and walked over. In this game, I was the prey. Being the prey was fun though. It was exciting. Loki didn't stop when he reached me; he pushed me until my back was pressed against the door of my bathroom and I had nowhere to go. His eyes scanned me, all of my body, all of my flaws, everything. Loki then pressed his mouth to mine.

It was slow this time, and gentle. Rather than it being fuelled by raw passion and desire, he caressed my face and it was as though he was treating me like a porcelain doll, as though I could break at any moment. His hands coasted down my pale arms and he gave me shivers. It was like I was fragile and I was made of paper. He was handling me with the utmost care and attention. His tongue licked my bottom lip and I opened my mouth.

Nom. That's all I can say. Nom. Loki's hands had settled for holding my own, entwining our fingers. I sighed happily and leaned up a little so that he wouldn't have to lower his head so much. The kiss was getting a little more heated by now and the pit of my stomach was doing the same. Slowly, very slowly, Loki let go of my hands and placed his hands on my thighs. His fingers stroked the soft skin there and he stroked his thumb over the laced hem of my dress.

I gasped into his mouth when his fingers inched themselves under the dress, just a little though. My arms wrapped themselves around his neck and pulled Loki even closer while tangling my fingers in his hair. His own index fingers were moving in circles on the top of my thighs while the rest were splayed around the top of my leg. Our lips parted from each other and then joined again for a quick kiss. Loki then dipped his head and simply nuzzled my neck.

"Tired?" Loki questioned, his voice muffled. I nodded softly and as if on cue, I yawned. Loki nodded and moved away slowly, beckoning me to follow. I walked over. "Which side do you tend to sleep on?" I shrugged indifferently.  
"I'm not really partial to either side." I replied. He nodded and then looked at the bed. I suppose he could now really see my love for green. Yes, even the bed sheets were green. Shut up. "I'll sleep right, you sleep left? That sound okay?" He looked back at me and nodded.

We walked over to opposite sides of the bed and slowly we got in. It felt strange to have someone else in my bed. Especially a God. Especially a sex God. _I think those kind of thoughts should be kept to yourself, my lady. I'd like to sleep without trying to ravage you._ I think I just died. My heart just failed and stopped beating. Yet, I live on. My face was so red; you probably wouldn't be able to identify it as my own anymore. _Shut up. It's not like I can control my thoughts. Besides, you shouldn't be listening._ I countered. He just chuckled and turned over to look at me. I turned off the only lamp that was on (the one on my side of the bed) and settled down facing Loki.

He smiled softly and pulled me closer. I willingly let him and snuggled in closer. I dislike that word. 'Snuggle'. Ugh, makes me grimace. Let's settle for nuzzle. Nuzzling like a cat. I like that. So, I willingly let him and _nuzzled_ in closer. Loki's arm kept me securely to him and I kissed his neck. "Good night, Loki." I whispered. He kissed my forehead gently.  
"Good night, Alfirin." He replied and we fell asleep.

**So, was it worth it? Did the citrus and the kiss work? I said last chapter that a first kiss would be introduced but as I explained at the top, it was in this one instead. More plot next chapter, I think. I implied last chapter that the first kiss would be between someone else, like Gracelyn and Colin, or even Francesca stealing one from Loki, like the evil, conniving, sneaky bitch I imagine her to be. Let me know if this is too cliché and I'll work on changing it. Thank you, my lovely reviewers! I've had so many emails about people favouriting the story, adding it to story alert and then adding me to Favourite Authors! AHAHAHAHA I AM HAPPY. Ahem, anyway, thank you! Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	10. Chapter 10

I had high hopes for work the next day. I had awoken to find my bed empty, save for myself, but a note on the pillow. I opened it and read eagerly.

'_I'll be checking up on you. Until then, my lady._'

I grinned shamelessly and tucked the note into the pillow case. Oh, I _was_ excited for work today. I doubt I need to tell you why. So, in my eagerness to get to work, I sprang out of bed. I was much more spritely than my usual self. I had no doubt that people would notice but did I care? No. It was only when I was about to put on a coat when I remembered what had happened concerning Thor.

Damn it, and I was in such a lovely mood as well. I closed my eyes and thought of all the pros and cons. Pros: I was super, duh; I was immortal, meaning I could live with Loki. Forever; I had kickass powers that could teach a few guys a lesson or simply make people's lives easier. Not sure how but hey ho; I had the strength to punch Thor and send him flying into my wall. That was just too damn awesome; I could also have an advantage over Gracelyn… Wait, what am I talking about?

Cons: I would out-live Colin. By a mile. I'd have to watch him die. And Francesca. And Casey. I'd watch my only friends and remaining family die. I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Not a thing; I could end up killing someone with my powers if my emotions flew out of control; I could get cocky and turn into a bloody villain and try world domination, even though it hadn't worked out very well for _anyone_ so far. That was it. But which out-weighed which?

With a headache as the result of thinking too hard, I shrugged my coat on, pulled on a hat and set out. Locking the door behind me. This time, I made sure. Even though I had no doubt that Loki could teleport in. But I knew that it wasn't Loki I was keeping out. I had a gnawing feeling that someone I knew would try and intrude in my home. And they would probably succeed, despite my locked doors and extra precautions.

The walk to the library was uneventful. Sadly. I think I had expected Loki to find me halfway and walk me in, just to piss off Casey and get me into deep shit. Typical. But he didn't turn up on the walk there. So, I walked into the library and smiled a bit more at Casey than usual; Gods knew I'd need it. Loki was going to be especially insufferable today, I just knew it. After all, he is God of Mischief and Lies.

Casey seemed startled at my enthusiasm, but ignored me nonetheless. Damn, she'd never held a grudge this long. It usually lasted for about 171 minutes. This one was for 4 days. She must have been _really_ fond of Loki in the few minutes she first met him. Great, now I'm feeling protective. _What's wrong with me? A few days ago, I didn't believe in soul mates and love at first sight. Now, I want to punch the bitch that has a crush on my Other_. I'm in need of some help. Like, serious mental help.

I settled down in the secluded area. There was one person there this time. He was reading a newspaper. A newspaper of all things. I only glanced momentarily at him. I couldn't see his face but I could tell it was male. When he shifted and looked at me, I turned my gaze to a chair in the corner. Something about him struck me as odd. Different. Dangerous. Evil. I didn't dwell on it; Loki would arrive soon. Besides, this man wouldn't try and converse with me. I was pretty sure he wouldn't. But I was wrong.

After about 10 minutes of me reading a fan fiction novel about Loki (Yes, there is a fan fiction aisle and there _is_ fan fictions about Loki. None of them put him to justice though), the man spoke. Even his voice sounded villainous. "You enjoy fan fictions?" I didn't reply immediately. His voice was gravelly and sounded sort of old, as though he was in his forties, but young at the same time. No, his voice sounded _husky_. The place where he was sitting was shrouded in darkness. A bit of a disadvantage to me since he could see me and I couldn't see him. It reminded me of when Loki had done the disappearing act on me. Only, not quite as arousing.

"I suppose. A change of scenery." I quoted Loki and looked up. The man had finished his newspaper and by the looks of it, he hadn't actually been reading it. This man gave me a _really_ bad feeling. I wondered vaguely if Loki could feel my uneasiness. If he could, he better have a brilliant excuse for being late. "I see. What do you usually read?" What was this, a social gathering? This was a place people came to do silent reading or have _group_ meetings. He was spoiling it completely and I didn't like it.

"Fantasy." I answered bluntly and went back to the short book, hoping that would quell his interest. It did. For a while. I heard him shift a little and I knew he was watching me read. It felt eerie, to say the least. "Interesting…" He muttered. I couldn't tell if he had intended for me to hear it or not, but hear it I did.  
"Pray tell what is so interesting about my favoured genre?" I nearly snapped at him. He didn't flinch. Ohhh, so he's got a pair of balls. Amazing. _Loki, if you don't get your sexy arse over here, I'm going to deprive you of kissing for a day._ He better hear that. The man chuckled instead of wincing. "You struck me as the kind of woman to prefer fiction to reality." What was that supposed to mean?

Loki seemed to appear out of nowhere. _Mercy._ I heard from the depths of his mind. His face showed indifference but I could feel his anger and jealousy. He looked at me. "Alfirin, I apologise for my tardiness. Casey attempted to engage me in conversation and I couldn't refuse." I nodded, feeling a _little_ bit of pity for him.  
"Still could have gotten here sooner." I grumbled under my breath. He chuckled lightly and came to stand by me. He seemed to ignore the man I had previously been speaking to. When I glanced at him inconspicuously, he was reading the newspaper but I could feel his eyes upon me still.

"What are you reading?" Loki peered over my shoulder, reading some of the paragraphs. A small smile appeared on my face. I wondered whether I could say that it was about him while the man was there. Better not take any chances. "It's a fan fiction actually. It's about the God of Mischief and Lies: Loki." I explained with an amused tone. _Oh, that's very amusing._ He spoke in my mind and my grin intensified. _Punish me then._ I taunted and when I looked up at him, his eyes were dark and 'unforgiving'. I wouldn't be able to get out of this one. _Later. _He thought simply and I nodded ever so slightly.

"How interesting." He muttered and I closed the book. I had nearly forgotten that the strange man was there. Nearly. I put the book down and stood from my chair, stretching as I did so. The clicking of my bones and joints satisfied me and I sighed with contentment. When I turned, Loki made a funny noise, as though he was letting out a breath he had been holding for a while. I cocked an eyebrow at him but his eyes revealed nothing, just glinting mischievously.

"Do you enjoy fan fiction?" I heard from the corner and I almost flinched. The strange man appeared to be looking at Loki now. I frowned. What was with this guy? Loki didn't reply. I don't know whether his behaviour angered me or frightened me. I hadn't seen Loki ignore anyone yet. But, for some reason… I got a bad vibe. "Shall we go?" Loki asked, holding his hand out as if willing me to join him. Did I have to be asked twice? I smiled widely and took it. We walked out of the dark area and away from the silhouetted man.

"What did Casey do to you?" I asked curiously. We sat in the fantasy aisle again. I was in my chair and Loki was sitting on the arm of the chair. Loki chuckled and crossed his arms. Casey had still been ignoring me and Loki's lack of punctuality today had made me wonder. "Well, rather than teleporting in, I came through the front door in an effort to be a little more human." I laughed and shook my head.  
"Loki, you could _never_ be very human. You're just too different. And, let's face it, your sexiness just doesn't allow it." I winked at him and he smirked.

"Be aware of the fact that I'm restraining myself here." Loki taunted and I think I had to swallow my desire to kiss him at that moment. After all, as far as Casey knows, we had only met 4 days ago. So, I'm sure you'll agree, we can't go around kissing and… stuff.

"So, then what? Did she just leap on you and tie you down?" I questioned and Loki looked at me with an eyebrow raised. The look on his face told me he was amused but… Oh god, seriously? "What? Really?" I nearly shrieked and Loki threw back his head and laughed. It was a proper big laugh as well! Oh, it was such a nice sound. I'll even add in a little smiley face for you all: :). There you go. Hope you liked that.

"Not at all. Casey merely saw me and immediately began speaking to me." Loki explained and I tilted my head. Hm. Jealousy stabbed at my gut and I decided not to let Loki know that, though he could most probably feel it anyway. "What did she say?" I refrained from growling. Loki did not indicate that he knew of my mean emotions.  
"She asked me 'Why are you interested in our library?' To which I replied: 'There is someone here who has captured my eye indefinitely.' She then blushed, thinking in her head that it was herself, and went on to advise books to me. It was all very trivial and irritating." Loki sighed a little and ran a hand through his hair. His scent hit me again and I couldn't help but think how awesome he looked when he did that. He looked down at me and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged shamelessly and grinned cheekily. Haha, that sounded funny.

"So, she thinks that she's the one who has 'caught your eye indefinitely'?" I said, almost bitterly. Loki nodded and then shook his head slowly.  
"Oh, she couldn't be any more wrong." He said, almost wistfully. I elbowed his leg and he grinned. Loki's expression then turned sober. "Why were you speaking to that man?" His emotional levels were suspicious. As in, he was suspicious. Oh, and jealous. Hehe. Actually, his jealousy got me thinking. Would I be able to lie to the God of Mischief and Lies? Would he detect it? Might as well try.

"He caught my attention. People don't usually read newspapers in the secluded bit." I explained nonchalantly. I felt Loki tense beside me and I knew that I could lie. I immediately felt triumphant. It felt pretty damn cool! "Did he now?" He replied coldly. I had to contain my smirk.  
"Indeed he did. He provided interesting insight actually." Mua ha ha haaa! Loki's expression became rather unfriendly. He looked at me sharply and, if I'm honest, he frightened me. The longer he looked at me, the more I wanted to tell him I was lying. I wanted to tell him that I didn't mean it. But my pride wouldn't let me. "I don't like that." He said so quietly that I had to strain to hear him. "I disapprove completely. I don't think you should speak to him." I swallowed thickly. He was forbidding me from doing something. Remember my hot temper? Well…

"Who are you to tell me who I can speak to?" I asked indignantly. He narrowed his eyes and stood, stopping in front of me. I immediately felt vulnerable. It was one of these times where I could actually see his height as a major disadvantage. "I am your _Other_. In Asgard, an Other is sought after by so many but next to none have one. There are no 'divorces' or separations. In Midgard, mortals fall in love more than twenty times in their life time. Mortals leave each other and fall into the same mistake over and over and _over_. Not everyone has the luxury of love and keeping it, in all of the Nine Realms." He hissed, "That is why I will _not_ lose you to another." Do you guys have any idea how much my heart swelled with pride and love for this man? Yes, I think, in 4 days, I had accepted this man as my Other and my love. What the fuck is wrong with me?

**Oh god, I am SO sorry this took ages. You wanna know why? As much as I love improvisation, I needed to figure out a plot. At first, the shady guy was just going to be some random guy that made Loki jealous but, now that I have a proper plot (A pretty good one, if I may so myself ;D), I can work on it quicker. Thing is, I've got a whole tonne of exams in three short weeks. I sort of want to hang myself, but then I figured you'd be without an author, and that wouldn't be fair on any of you! So, here it is! Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	11. Chapter 11

So, I left you with my little LOVE EPIPHANY and then my little 'What the fuck am I doing?' You probably want to know what happened next, right? Well, I think the only way I can describe it… is that I pretty much pounced on him and snogged the hell out of him. It was very funny. Well, I mean, _now_ that I look back on it, it's funny. But before, it had been very arousing. But, again, Loki and I had to part because Casey came around the corner. Bloody hell…

I don't think she saw us kissing but we were rather close anyway and, though I couldn't be sure, Casey may have seen Loki's hand up the back of my shirt. Maybe. Hehe, there's another little sneak peek as to what happened. Oh, you want _details_. Well, alright then. Here they are:

"That is why I will _not_ lose you to another." And I pounced. He had been standing above me; I was seated and he was stood over me. So, really, I just straightened up quickly and threw my lips on his openly. It was just raw passion and my epiphany driving me into doing this in public. It wasn't very logical and it wasn't very smart but Loki didn't pull away or deny me anything. It seemed he didn't care either. I would have led him back to the secluded part of the library but I was pretty sure the creepy man was there. Now thinking about it, the man's voice had sounded familiar. I just couldn't quite put my finger on it… I would remember later. After all, my mind has gone a _little_ blank now.

The kiss made me hyperaware of everything around me. I'm not sure why. I'm pretty sure that in a passionate kiss like that, I'd be lost in it; completely numb to the world. But, apparently not, since I could hear every creak of a floorboard, every page turning and every word spoken in the next few aisles. It was strange but so enlightening. I enjoyed every second of it. That being the sudden improvement of my senses and the kiss. It was simply _magical_.

Because of my hyperawareness, I felt Loki's hand sneak up my back, under my shirt. _If you stop now, I will hang you_. I thought to him in a warning tone. Haha, that sounded weird. Ah well. Anyway, his fingers caressed the scars on my back and I arched into him, craving more of his addictive touch. How the hell did this man have such a hold on me? It just wasn't fair.

"We probably shouldn't be doing this in a library…" I mumbled against his lips and he nodded in agreement. But we still didn't move. My legs had locked themselves into place and I couldn't move them for the world. And, let's face it, it was inevitable; lightning flashed through the library thanks to my haywire emotions. It did nothing to stop us though.

My fingers tangled themselves in Loki's hair and pulled him even closer, and even then I wanted him closer. It just wasn't enough; I needed him with me, beside me, touching me, saving me, loving me and so much more. It frustrated me to no end and I had no doubt that it would cause complications and small arguments between us because of my reluctance to accept everything. But the thing that scares me is the fact that deep down, I already have.

Jesus Christ, when did it get so hot and stuffy in here? I could feel myself perspiring on the spot because of the heat of the library and our contact. Since when did this man get so deeply-rooted in my head? Hmph, I am disgruntled. No, never mind, I am incapable of being disgruntled at Loki. I just… can't.

So, I was in the moment and everything and I felt extremely content. Guess who ruins it? Casey. Stupid irritating idiotic annoying moronic bitchy… Ahem, never mind.

Casey's footsteps had always been light but because of my suddenly heightened senses, I could hear it at the bottom of the steps. But did I pull away? No. "We should _probably_ stop now before Casey sees…" I groaned against Loki's heavenly lips but he didn't listen. Instead, he just made the kiss more passionate and pulled me even closer. _God damn it, Loki! We have to stop before-oh._ Before I could even finish my sentence, Loki's right hand, the one that wasn't up the back of my shirt, had settled on my breast. _Oh my God…_ Stupid God. Damn him.  
_Yes. I am yours. Just as you are mine and mine alone._ I had been vaguely wondering if my underwear could get any damper. My question had been answered with a yes. It could. And it did.

Casey's footsteps were getting louder; she was on the top floor by now and slowly drawing near. _Let… go…_ I whimpered and finally, he did. He had to literally pull himself from me, which was kind of funny. Well, it looks funny _now_. I immediately wanted him near again but I knew, for our own safety, we'd have to stop before Casey came in. Loki's lips were rather swollen and his face slightly red. His eyes were so dark though. With desire. Damn him. I had no doubt that I looked exactly the same. Loki licked his lips and, damn it, I just realised that my underwear were soaked. Had I wet myself in the excitement? No, probably something more… personal happened. No, not period. You guys know what I mean! I'm not saying!

Casey was in the next aisle and I quickly took the opportunity to kiss Loki very quickly on the lips. He tried to lengthen it but, using all of my mental strength, I pulled away while shaking my head. "Too much at stake. Later." I croaked, thanks to my lack of speech. He nodded. _This will continue. Mark me._  
_Oh, I will_. (**Line from my Sherlock fic. Hehe :D**) Loki's control surprised me. I had been so sure that he would just throw my clothes off and ravage me there and then. But, alas, he did not. Still, not all is lost.

Enter Casey. Her vision had always been rather dismal so she couldn't really see our dishevelled state but, as I said before, she _might_ have seen Loki's hand up my shirt since he had yet to move it, but perhaps luck would be kind to us. Just this once.

She frowned at us and by the looks of her pupils, she did not seem to notice our more finer aspects. She did, however, notice that it was Loki again. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two have been snogging behind my back." Casey joked half-heartedly but I knew that she was livid. Damn it, stupid hormones. Yeah, I'm being immature and blaming hormones. It's totally their fault though. Totally.

"And if you did?" Loki asked with a grin on his sexy face. Casey didn't seem to understand. In fact, she said so herself.  
"What? I don't understand." She replied, somewhat dumbly actually. Loki shook his head, indicating it did not matter. She shrugged it off. "Did you see the lightning?" Casey questioned us instead. I licked my lips.  
"Yeah, pretty incredible, wasn't it, Loki?" I asked him with a hidden tone in my voice.  
"Indeed it was, Alfirin. Rather wonderful in fact." He replied, bemused at my 'treachery'.

Casey then walked off. I frowned after her. She had been acting a little strangely lately. She had been speaking to Loki without so much as a stammer in her voice and she had been getting exceedingly angry at me. And then she just walked off. No one does that! Okay, they do, but Casey doesn't. I knew it was my responsibility to help her but I didn't. I was selfish and instead, I led Loki back to the darker depths of the library.

"Is he there?" I asked from behind Loki as we crept through the bookcases. They were shaped and curved and resembled more of a maze the further you delved into the library. It also gets darker and the books become more horrific, more sexual and more mature. "No, he has vacated." Loki replied but still with a hushed tone.  
"Why are you mumbling?" I inquired and he turned back to me with a smirk.  
"It adds tension." He responded and I rolled my eyes.

So, now back to the present, we're currently reading a book together while lounging on the sofa. Loki's chest is by far the most comfortable pillow I've ever had. Loki was leaning against one of the arms of the chair with his legs stretched out over the cushions. I was laying the same way only substituting the arm of the chair with Loki. As I said earlier, he was very comfortable. We were taking in turns, reading every other paragraph. Or line, if it was just a line of speech or something similar.

We were acting like lovers. Like star-crossed lovers. _Were_ we lovers? I had no idea. 4 days and Loki has made me feel things I hadn't felt before. He's changed me, I think. I think my general behaviour has become more… playful. I'm more content than I was 5 days ago, moping around on the window sill. No, I was _stronger_. What was happening to me? I… Here's the million pounds question: Have I truly fallen in love with Loki after a mere 4 days?

Yes.

**Dun, dun, dunnn! Hope that was satisfactory! It's about 1:30am here in Britain and I'm rather tired now. I've got Dance nearly first thing and P.E last thing so I'm gonna end up feeling sweaty all day D: Gah, dislike it. Anyway, hope you enjoyed that. At least a little. I apologise for the shortness of it! I'll make the next chapter longer! I hope you enjoyed the citrus too ;) Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna**


	12. Chapter 12

So, here I am, sitting on Loki's lap, his arms around me and holding the book, reading a novel with him and how am I feeling? Not ashamed at all. I feel like I'm belonging right where I am now. And God damn it, it felt great. We were reading another mythology, only this time, it was Greek. It was about Zeus and the Cornucopia. As we read on, questions crept up into my mind. "Loki…" I began, like a child and using a tone saying that they wanted something.  
"Mmhmm…" Loki hummed behind me as he adjusted me a little.  
"If Asgardians are real, and if Frost Giants are real… Are the Olympians real?" This was making me very curious. When I was younger, I had doubted the truth in myths and religions. I took an interest in mythology, Norse in particular, when I was about 14, so I studied it. I'm currently sitting on a Frost Giant's lap, but still a Prince of Asgard, so why can't Olympians be real? Why wouldn't they? It made sense. Loki froze for a moment.

"There is something I must talk to you about. It concerns the artefact that I am soon to be searching for on this planet." I chuckled softly at him. It still amused me whenever he spoke of our first confrontations.  
"Then by all means, say it." He nuzzled my hair for a few more seconds and then placed the book down, intent on holding my close to him instead.

"I have heard from some exiles of Asgard and other Realms, that there is something of great importance on Midgard." My ears perked up and I listened intently, "It did not originate from Asgard. It comes from Olympia, which certainly does exist." So, I was right in thinking that. Good. "Apparently, Abudantia dropped it, and it fell from Olympia a decade ago, but has only just landed in Midgard, probably 2 days ago. It is used to give life and nutrients but it has been known to create weapons and spread death over other planets and Realms." I had not been expecting that, I'll admit. But just what _was_ this item? "It is the Cornucopia." Loki replied in answer to my thoughts. Of course… Fabled to have fed Zeus himself, a giver of life, food and necessities of life. Though there had been many variations of how it looked, the story and what it contained was always the same.

"So, what does it _actually_ look like? We've got many different images of it but I do not know if they are true at all." I questioned him. Loki looked at me with interest for a few moments.  
"It is a golden horn made of the finest metals ever crafted in the Nine Realms. A mortal would reach their hand in and find nothing; the Cornucopia would be a mere horn to them. But to an Immortal, one could reach in forever and continue pulling different items out." He described to me.

It was easy to imagine, since our own image were very similar. The only difference I could label was the fact that our myths described the Cornucopia as basket, weaved with wood with peasant-like work rather than the polished golden metals crafted with finesse.  
"I take it that mortals _have_ seen the Cornucopia, then. The images and stories we have about the horn are all very similar to what you've said now." Loki nodded in agreement.  
"Many myths are derived from mere fantasy of mortals. But some are formed by true witnesses to Immortals' powers."

"I see… And… You're going to search for this?" I questioned curiously. I prayed that he would let me accompany him. I wonder where it landed…  
"Yes, I shall. You will come too; we cannot stray far from each other, remember?" Oh, yeah… Hm, it worked to my advantage. "But I'm not the only Immortal who searches for it." I looked up and behind me, since Loki was still taller than me on the couch and I was still on his lap, "To my knowledge, two others search for it. They are of different mortal beliefs." I straightened a little and listened intently.

"The first, is a Goddess. She is a Loa, from the Dominican Republic's mythology. She is called Anaisa Pye. She is well known to mortals because she is almost literally Goddess of everything they need. Food, water, clothing, shelter, money, cattle. Because of this, she became extremely jealous of any other Gods who were worshipped. She tried to destroy a fellow Immortal, and that resulted in banishment." I cocked my head.  
"Sounds like a lovely woman." I said sarcastically and I could feel Loki's grin despite it being out of my sight.

"The second, is a Roman God called Indivian." I frowned.  
"Don't you mean Indivia?" I corrected but he shook his head.  
"No, Indivian is male. His long hair was misinterpreted by the mortals, and he is perceived as female now." I sucked in breath and then whistled lowly.  
"I'd hate to be that guy." I muttered and Loki chuckled.

"He is the God of Jealousy. However, he was nearly named the God of Punishment. Instead, Poena, a Goddess, claimed the honour before he could, and so he thrives on jealousy, much like Anaisa." He explained to me.  
"And are they on Midgard?" Hah, I said Midgard instead of Earth. I sound like an Immortal.  
"You _are_ an Immortal, my lady." Loki reminded me and I smirked a little. He then moved on to answer my question. "Indivian has been on Midgard for 6 years now, and Anaisa for 6 months." Only 6 months? Wow.

"So, Anaisa is looking for it to redeem herself." I summarised on the Loa. Loki shrugged a little.  
"It is difficult to say. I have had the displeasure of meeting her once, but she was not in her original form; she was taking the shape of another being." I turned my head to look at him with a frown. He watched me intensely.  
"You've met her? What was she like?" He grinned and looked away for a moment and then back at me.  
"One of the most despicable beings I have ever met." He replied, "Her jealousy makes her stride for perfection and in many people's eyes, perfection is also having a powerful partner by your side." I scowled.  
"So she basically flirted with you and wanted you to be her partner?" I asked bitterly. He laughed loudly and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"You are simply endearing when you are jealous." He stated and I pouted, "And you are correct, by the way. She asked me to court her but I refused. Back then, a century ago, I had been convinced that I would find my own Other. And I did." He finished with a smirk. I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless.  
"That was impossibly cliché." I chortled and he laughed lowly.  
"So, basically, Anaisa Pye and Indivian are on Midgard and searching for the Cornucopia. _We're_ going to search for it… why?"  
"To save Midgard, of course. As much as enslaving all humans appeals to me, I cannot allow _other_ Gods to steal it. Midgard technically belongs to Asgard." I nodded soundly and finally, one last question popped into my mind.  
"Where is it?"  
"It's in your house."

**Cliff hanger! I'm so sorry for the delay! I'm having writer's block, though I have a plot figured out. It's just the fact that I'm unable to think of little fillers, and all I'm using is citrus… I don't know… Thank you reviewers! Many of you made me laugh xD Quick shout outs to some reviewers who either asked questions or made me laugh: **

**MissFairyGodmother: If you know what lemons are, then citrus is like that. It's basically smut and making out sessions and shizz like that xD  
The Yoshinator: Oh my God, when I read your review, I felt so happy :D Thank you so much! I'm really glad you're enjoying it! You simply made my day. Merci! Woo!  
Breathless Wind: You reviewed THREE times so far! Dude, I freakin' love you. Thank you for wishing me luck! When you called me a crazy lady xD Made me laugh tonnes. Man, you're just awesome!  
ShiroNeko316: Thank you, I always thought Loki would be trying to fight it a little since it clashes with his personality so much, and then I just figured 'Ya know what? Loki, kiss that girl!' I like those sorts of moments. I might put it in my other fic, one of Singin' In The Rain actually.  
LittleMissMia123: You got your wish ;D **

**Anyone else who I didn't mention, I'm sorry for not doing so, but you guys still mean so much to me! Thank you again and I apologise profusely for the shortness of this chapter and length of this note! **

**I'd like to ask you all a question as well. Here goes: In romance fictions, do you prefer for the kiss to be at the end, for a sweet ending? Or round the middle so that they can blossom their relationship?  
I realise that this fiction has the kiss in the middle but go with whatever you prefer. It'll help for my next fiction. Thank you!**

**Cheers folks! Adios. **

**Luna **


	13. Chapter 13

**Listen, this is an important note. In the previous chapter, I said that the Cornucopia landed roughly 2 days ago. I'm going to change it to 1 year ago. Trust me, this will work. **

"… In my house?" I asked doubtfully. That's a tad bit… well, convenient, don't you think? Come on… "That's a little… That can't be a coincidence. Did someone plant it there? What's going on?" I babbled and Loki chuckled softly behind me.  
"I am angry at myself that I didn't detect it sooner, but my powers have been somewhat weakened since my arrival on Midgard." I tilted my head. His powers had been dampened? Gods, I've only seen a portion of his power and I'm still getting over the wow factor of it. My Other sniggered behind me.  
"Oh, believe, my lady, I have more power than anything you've seen yet." Why did that turn me on exactly?

"So… How exactly did it get in my house?" No, seriously, how the fuck did it get in my house? I'm not sure I want something that 3 Immortals are searching for, no matter their reasons. Loki sighed and tilted his head back, as though he was thinking. "Well… My guess is that either another mortal thought it was _pretty_ and gave it to you as a gift, or that it sensed your power and materialised inside your house, waiting for when you need it or wish to return it to Olympia." That, surprisingly, made sense. Hmm…

"Well, when I've finished my shift, I'll go home and look for it." Loki groaned.  
"_After_? This is an Immortal artefact that we need to search for and you want to _finish_ your _shift_ at a _library_?" Was that so hard to believe?  
"I need to work to get money for food, clothes and other necessities, Loki. I'm sure that you're not used to that, you being a prince of Asgard and everything, but I _do_ need to take care of myself." The prince scoffed at my logic but otherwise said nothing more about it. "Now, how about we finish that book?"

"No, don't leave with me! Casey will know something is up!" Loki smirked and merely put a hand on my arm.  
"No need to fret, my lady. I have a solution." I sighed and dropped it. Sort of.  
"It better not be a lousy solution…" I muttered and he just smirked even more. Stupid God. We walked down the stairs and I could feel my heart beating loudly, despite the situation being quite a mild one. As we got closer to the doors, I could see Casey poring over more documents about unreturned books and fines. _You better know what you're doing. _I hissed to him through our connection. I had to go to the office in order to get my coat and hat so I forced Loki to stay out of sight, even going as far as to threaten him ("If you place on foot in the sight of Casey, I will not kiss you for an entire day."). I'm not sure if that really frightened him, but again he muttered _mercy_ in my mind.

After pulling my coat and hat on and tucking my hair to keep the forecasted snow, I exited with a quick wave to Casey. She didn't even acknowledge me… Righto. I nodded to Loki and he stepped out of the shadows near the reception desk and made his way over to me. Almost immediately, Casey's head snapped up to bid the customer goodbye. But this time, a big smile lit up her face. "Leaving so soon?" She said smilingly. Loki turned back to her with a forced smile.  
"Yes, indeed I am. It is, after all, closing time." Her face fell a little when she looked at the time and she turned back to Loki with a hopeful pout.  
"Well… Which side of town do you live on?" Oh my Gods, leave us alone, woman… _Which side of town does she live on?_ Loki inquired.  
_East_. Loki immediately smiled.  
"I live on the West side of town." Again, her face fell even more and she appeared to be thinking hard, drumming her fingers as she did so. When she looked up, she had a little smile on her face. _Brace yourself, love_. Loki whispered in my mind. I frowned for a moment before remembering that he could read Casey's mind as well. "I do too! Perhaps we could walk home together?" Oh, that little liar… I couldn't help it. I had to speak up. This was just unacceptable.

"Casey, I thought you lived on the East? At least, that's where you were living when I visited you a week ago." The tight-lipped glare that sent me would have killed me, had I been able to die.  
"No… I moved… Remember?" The old Casey would have been begging me to cover for her, but, for some reason, she had changed from jealousy and spite. Now, she was pretty much daring me to say she was wrong. Well then, take this Casey, because I'm not backing down.  
"No, I don't recall. Actually, I'm pretty sure your mother gave you that house." Casey snapped the pen in her hand.  
"… No, she didn't…" It was starting to snow outside again. I stared at her, unwilling to back down, and suddenly, just like that, she turned back into old Casey. What the hell was up with her?

"Oh, yes she did… I'm sorry, I'm not sure what just… happened…" She muttered to herself with a small frown. She looked up and blinked between me and Loki, who had not spoken since I had put my own two cents in. "Are you two together?" She squeaked with disappointment and joy. I opened my mouth to answer and then shut it again. What the fuck was I going to say? Then Loki, my obvious hero, answered for me.

"More or less. You see, we met a long time ago, and it wasn't until the day after my first coming here that I realised I knew her. I had such a secondary school crush on her that I had to request a date." Thank the Gods that Casey didn't go to school with me. She nodded with surprise, mouthing 'Oh…' I tilted my head. What the hell happened to her? "Well, have a nice time wherever you two are going." And with that, she shuffled the papers and went to the office to tidy things away. I looked at Loki incredously and he gazed at me with amusement. "Seriously? A secondary school crush?" I scoffed at his solution. He shrugged and smirked at me. Damn it, he knows I love that smirk.

Walking home in the snow was something that I always enjoyed. But now, I could share the experience with Loki. For some reason, I felt more content walking home with Loki in the dark with the snow drifting down. "Have you ever celebrated Christmas?" I questioned the God and he looked to the left, as though trying to recall.  
"I… think so… Does it involve the tree being decorated, children having advent calendars and exchanging gifts? A roast dinner?" I beamed up at him with a nod. He returned it, on a smaller scale, and searched for my hand in the cold air. He found it and entwined his finger with mine. "Indeed I have then. It was rather enjoyable actually, save for the fact that Thor couldn't stop shooting arrows at me when I was trying to read." I sniggered, imagining the scene.  
"How old were you?"  
"I was only about a century old, so I was approximately 7 in Midgardian terms." Trying to imagine Loki as a 7 year old was just weird. "You know, I don't think you have stopped aging indefinitely." Well, that was a sudden change in conversation. I looked up at him in curiosity as we turned a corner under a street lamp.

"What do you mean?" I questioned. Loki's hand squeezed mine as he inhaled.  
"I certainly think that your aging has significantly slowed, but since your abilities originated from Thor, I don't think you have stopped aging, since Thor cannot stop. No Immortal can stop aging. Technically, we're not even Immortals, because we _can_ be killed. Granted, it takes rather a lot of _firepower_ but we can be destroyed. Everyone on Asgard believed I was dead when I fell from the bifrost but I proved them wrong." The last sentence made his chest swell with pride and I snickered at him.  
"So, my aging is now that of a God? I still age, but it takes a century or two to actually look different?" He nodded in agreement.  
"I'm surprised at how well you're taking this." I shrugged.  
"It's better than being immortal indefinitely. I would live on as everyone I knew died. Eventually, you would die… And then I'd be alone… I'd much rather be able to age, no matter how slowly, and finally die with you." Oh Gods, I sound so sappy. (**Excuse the sappiness, I'm listening to Classical music as I write this. It's called Adagio. Oh, on comes Fur Elise. Smiley face.**)

"I'd rather that also." Loki mumbled simply and tugged my hand so that I stopped walking. We were stood near a streetlamp and I looked at him questioningly. He didn't respond; he slipped the hat off and just looked down at me. "What?" I murmured but he ignored it. Instead, Loki threaded his fingers through my hair and stepped closer, inhaling whatever the hell my scent was. "What is it?"  
"Just talking about your death makes me need you close." Whoa… Seriously? What a bloody sweetheart.

So, to cure his need for immediate proximity, I slowly looped my arms around his shoulders and just embraced him. He tensed, for just a moment, and then relaxed. Perhaps he was never embraced very much during his childhood.

We were now walking down the street to my house. "Right, where is it more likely to be?" I questioned as we neared my door. I removed my keys and fumbled with the lock, my numb fingers not helping any. Loki sniggered quietly and waved his hand, the door even swinging open. Unfortunately, I was leaning on it. I flew forwards and nearly fell flat on my face. Thanks to Loki's faster reflexes, he managed to catch me by the waist. We stood for a moment. I was still bending over, balancing on one foot and Loki was standing beside me, stooping to remain level with me, his arms both fitting snugly around my waist, hands splayed over the opposite hips. After that moment, we both straightened. "You ought to be more careful, don't you think?" Loki said smugly, "Though I'm not complaining. It just gives me an excuse to touch you." Huzzah for clumsiness!

"Well, I'll be sure to stumble around mindlessly for you." I scoffed. I removed my coat while Loki put my hat (which he had held the rest of the way home) on a peg. My coat soon followed it. Loki removed his own coat. He had explained on the way home that he didn't really need a coat, since he was a Frost Giant. He only wore one for the sake of appearing human. "Now, this time, answer my question. Where is the Cornucopia more likely to be?" Loki paused as we came into the living room.  
"I still can't sense it. It must have some sort of charm or enchantment upon it." He muttered. He then looked at me. "I would imagine it to be an ornament of sorts, or even discarded in a drawer." I sighed.  
"Well, that narrows it down."

We searched for about an hour before I began to feel hungry. I made myself a sandwich, searching through the cupboards as I bit it. There was nothing even remotely like a horn in any of the cabinets. After eating the sandwich, I called Loki back to the living room. "Okay, where _haven't_ we looked?" He glanced around the room.  
"Hmm…" He hummed to himself. "Bathrooms… Airing cupboard… And your flower pots." I nodded.  
"Right, I'll do the bathroom, you do the airing cupboard. Flower pots shouldn't take too long." He agreed and we set off again. Or, at least, we would have had there not been a knock at the door. I sighed and walked to the front door. I opened it to find Wayne there. Wayne being my ex. He didn't even smile at me.

"Where's the Cornucopia?"

**CLIFFHANGER! I'm so glad that I finally managed to get this done. Next chapter will be done ASAP. I really need to watch Avengers again -_- ANYWAY, hope this will satisfy you lot for a while, until chapter 14 is up. Just to let you know, I moved the category to Avengers, because 1) it makes more sense since I haven't seen Thor, and 2) It's more likely to get readers that way :D Strategic, I know ;D Cheers folks (especially for being so patient). Adios. **

**Luna **


	14. Chapter 14

"… What?" How the hell did Wayne know about the Cornucopia? Either way, playing dumb would be the best option.  
"Where is the Cornucopia?" He was obviously losing patience. I wonder… Did he overhear us in the library? How could he? Loki couldn't sense his presence. "I know it's here." He said determinedly.  
"Wayne, are you feeling alright? You do know that the Cornucopia is a mythological item, right?" He rolled his eyes and pushed past me, muttering. Thankfully, my newly enhanced strength stopped him from getting through the door. Wayne stared at me shocked. "I'm not letting you in, Wayne. I haven't seen you in a year. You can't just barge in." He huffed at me.

"I sure as hell can. You've no idea what I'm capable of, Alfirin." Right, yeah, 'cause you're a secret agent, aren't you? I rolled my eyes and pushed him away from me. I didn't do it hard, but he definitely stumbled. "Leave, Wayne." He scoffed at me and walked straight back up.  
"Not without the Cornucopia." Wayne growled, "I trust you still have that necklace I gave you?" Necklace? What necklace? What was he ta… Oh, right, _that_ necklace. The one that…

"Good night, Wayne." I said as evenly as possible and bolted my door shut. I had seven locks but I only locked four of them. Less wasting time, and if he tried to pick the lock, he'd always be locking three of them, while unlocking the four. Then he'd lock the four again and unlock three, and so on. Rushing through my house and past Loki, I dashed into my bedroom, searching through the jewellery boxes that held so many necklaces, bangles, earrings, anklets and rings that I never wore. Loki walked in with a very puzzled expression. "Brain wave?" He pondered. I nodded fervently as I continued my frantic delving.  
"My ex, Wayne, gave me a necklace about a year ago. He said that he would always love me, and the necklace was a sign of trust. At the time, I didn't understand it." Loki watched my searching silently, "The necklace has a small golden horn on it." His demeanour straightened and he approached me excitedly.  
"You think that he gave you the Cornucopia to show that he trusted you to take care of it?"  
"Yes, I do." I replied and finally, after pushing all of the other boxes and jewellery off my dressing table, I held it up.

It glinted in my lamplight, the golden gleam of the little horn shining onto my face. "But why is it so small?" Loki chuckled at my question.  
"It had to be obscured and so could be shrunk or enlarged. Abudantia needed it to be easily hidden in case other realms came searching for it and waged war on Olympia. That was useful though when she dropped it." He then appeared to be thinking to himself, "She always rather clumsy." He muttered and I scoffed.  
"And I thought it was just some little trinket Wayne picked up when he was at a car boot sale."

"No, I found it in a crater when I went star gazing." We both whirled around to find Wayne in my doorway. I frowned at him.  
"I shut the door on you and locked it. How the hell did you get in?" Wayne smiled a frightening smile.  
"I have other means of entering your home, Alfie." I growled at him and clenched my fists.

"Do not call me Alfie." I warned and his smile intensified.  
"That always did annoy you, didn't it?" Oh, yes it did. "I didn't think you'd move on _this_ fast, Alfirin." Wayne gestured to Loki.  
"It's been a year, Wayne." He ignored my comment.  
"And onto a God, no less. My, my, the Immortals do have an interest in you, don't they?" What?

"… I'm sorry?" Did I hear him correctly? How the hell did he know that Loki was a God?! And how does he even know about Immortals, let alone the Cornucopia? Wayne looked at me with a glare and something appeared to be pulsing in his fists. "Oh, you will be, Alfirin. You will be."

… Right, well, he's a lovely chap, isn't he? You can just tell that I had a great taste in men when I was 24. Only a year ago and we were talking about marriage. Then he up and ran about six months ago for no reason. Nice bloke. "Now, give me the Cornucopia and I won't have to hurt either of you." His fists were definitely pulsing green now. Loki stepped in front of me casually, hands behind his back as well, and looked at Wayne imploringly. "Might I ask… Wayne, is it? How you know of the Cornucopia's existence? And how you know of the Immortals? I presume that you are one of them, of course." Wayne froze and I stared at him.

"You're… an Immortal?" I questioned with awe. Great, that's two boyfriends who are Gods. Well, Loki isn't technically my boyfriend, I suppose. Soul mate sounds cool. Other sounds even cooler. "But… How? Who the hell are you?"  
"I'm Invidian*****." He replied with a flourish of his green hands. There seemed to be some sort of energy stemming from his fists that looked incredibly menacing. "Oh, I see that you're eying my hands. The colour?" I didn't respond. "It's green for the colour of jealousy." He growled. Whoa, what did I say?

"But… I like green…" I complained lowly. _Now is not the time._ Loki muttered to me and I nearly nodded. It would be best if Way-Invidian didn't know of our connection. Invidian flexed his fingers, as if he was still growing accustomed to his new energy, and he looked at us with a little smirk. Blink and you'd miss it: He sent a flash of the strange green energy towards us. Loki, being the hero of course, deflected it with his sorcery that he had no doubt perfected over centuries, sending it into my bookcase, all of my books flying off the shelves. Which brought me to my next question for the God of Jealousy. "Hey, Way-Invidian…" He narrowed his eyes at me, his arm frozen behind him from where he was going to hurl another load of power at us, "How old are you?" I was acting very strange in this situation, I know. But this was not only my ex, but he was a God. Granted, Loki was the only one for me (obviously) but Invidian was an Olympian. Well, a Roman God. I'm not sure where they all hang out.

"I'm eleven centuries old. I am far more superior to you or your Norse God." He sneered and released the energy building up in his body. It hurtled towards us and again, Loki protected us both, this time the shield absorbed it. My sex God smirked in response. "Superior?" He laughed at Invidian's audacity. It wasn't a cruel laugh. It was like he was genuinely amused by him. "I hardly think so." It merely angered Invidian and he tried to crush us with whatever the hell that green stuff was. But Loki, oh my dear incredible Loki, denied him once more of his intentions. _You really need to stop thinking that if you don't want me to get distracted._ Oh, right, yeah, my bad… Whoops.  
_Whoops…_

"Give… Me… The… Cornucopia!" He shrieked with anger and the green energy shot towards us like daggers, or like bullets. Loki appeared to have stopped messing around.  
"Enough!" He roared. It startled me. Invidian stopped with shock before he could send another helping our way. "Leave now, you pathetic God. Pursuing the Cornucopia by trying to catch a young woman by surprise is simply pitiful. If you want the artefact, we'll bargain it. If you kill us… You'll lose the most important information you'll ever gain." The final line seemed to catch the God's attention. Slowly, he lowered his arm but he did not relax his stance. "How to use it." Loki answered his silent question. What? Loki knew how to use it? I thought an Immortal just had to put their hand in. Why was I so surprised about this? Did I expect it to come with an instructions manual?

After a few seconds of deafening silence, Invidian merely nodded and disappeared into thin air. Loki held up his hand and waved it slowly around the room. A few moments later, he seemed satisfied. "He's gone." He muttered.

"You're not seriously going to bargain, are you?" I asked him incredously. He looked at me with a smirk. Stupid God.  
"Of course not. I am not a fool." He teased.  
"But I thought that an Immortal need only to reach their hand in and they'd pull out whatever they wished…" Was I told wrong? Or was it a bluff? Oh… Right… _Exactly, my lady._

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 10:13. "Tired?" He asked, and I vaguely recalled him saying the same thing the night before. I shrugged as I fought a yawn down.  
"Only a little. At the moment, I could kill for a cup of tea." Loki smirked.  
"I'm sure Invidian would volunteer." I snorted and tugged at Loki's wrist to follow me, which he did.  
"Oh, yeah, I'm sure he would."

After making our cups of tea, we settled into the living room, where drawers, boxes and shelves were either open, overturned or untidy. Our search had been very efficient. The necklace was sitting on the coffee table between us. I sat and stared at it while I sipped my tea. Loki was doing the same. "So…" His eyes snapped to mine, igniting a little spark in my stomach and heart, "What are we supposed to do now? We've located the Cornucopia… Invidian has already turned up to get it, granted he was the _least_ likely person I would have expected. Anaisa will, no doubt, soon follow. Are we going to return it to Abudantia?" Loki chuckled and shook his head.  
"It took roughly ten years to land on Midgard. We were lucky that it wasn't intercepted on the way, which is very possible. If we try to return it, it will take another ten years. This time, it will almost certainly be stolen somewhere through its journey. We cannot take that risk." I pursed my lips, trying to think of something else. I didn't really want it in my possession. To be honest, I wanted to forget about it.

"What about sending it back to Asgard?" I suggested but again, Loki disagreed.  
"No, the bifrost has been broken. I have no doubt that Thor can no longer return to Asgard either. He'll no doubt be with Jane." Damn it. "We'll have to protect it. The government here on Midgard is too corrupt for us to have them guard it." He reasoned. And he was right. That scuppered my plans completely. "Wear it around your neck from now on. Keep it hidden under your clothes. Make sure no one sees it." Huzzah. I'll be wearing a lost Olympian artefact that is being searched for by 3 Gods, one which is now protecting it, around my neck under my clothes. Life just gets better and better.

"You do recall that it is the 18th of July this weekend, correct?" What? What was so special… Oh, right. Damn. "Yes, indeed. You _did_ promise that you'd attend." Whoa, was he guilting me now? I can't cope with that! "Come now, we can find the perfect dress this week." I groaned childishly and, after putting my mug on the coffee table, slumped in my chair with an arm over my face.  
"Must I?" Please say no, please say no, please say no, please say-.  
"Yes, you must." Damn it. Stupid God. "I shall attend as well, if you are uncomfortable." I didn't looked at him. Suddenly, the darkness that my arm gave me was very comforting.  
"And allow all of those women gander and flirt with you? Never. You're mine and they can't have you. Your presence will be tempting them to taste forbidden fruit. Imagine those poor women when they find out that you're with little, plain _me_. I'd rather not." My arm was ripped away from my face to find a frighteningly calm Loki in front of me. His expression was calm but his eyes showed me that he was angry. It was like the time in the library, just before I had my love epiphany. "You are not _plain_. You are _unique_. You are _beautiful_. You are _perfect in every way_. I will relish in the fact that I shall be there with _you_ rather than any other woman. If you downgrade yourself again, the punishment will be… _severe_." And then his mind raced through all of his ideas for my punishment. Oh… My… Gods…

… I didn't even know that was _legal_.

**Sorry, another short chapter. I'm trying to describe this better than the other stories but I just prefer doing dialogue or the thoughts of Alfirin when she realises something or wonders about the 'what if's. I also apologise for the lack of citrus throughout these last two chapters. Next chapter will probably be a little more plot. I dunno. We'll see. Invidian*: In Chapter 12, I wrote Indivian instead. The website I went to in order to find a list of potential Gods and Goddesses spelled the name wrong and I didn't realise. So, to clear up confusion, it is INVIDIAN. Because INVIDIA is LATIN for JEALOUSY. Or ENVY. Take your pick. Hope that was alright. It's 1:43 here and it's my little brother's birthday today so I think sleep is best. Cheers folks. Adios. **

**Luna **


	15. Important Note!

**Quick question: When do you guys want Loki to say 'I love you'? This chapter coming up? Next chapter? At the end, like in Dream A Little Dream? Tell me ASAP because I can't finish this chapter until I know! **

**Luna **


	16. Chapter 15

**I read through my story a few times and realised a horrible mistake! I've had it snowing and then I say that there's a party the weekend coming up, which is dated as the 18****th**** of July! I'm going to say that the party is actually on the 18****th**** of December (a Saturday)! So currently, it's the 11****th**** of December. Hey, I just realised, if I had kept it as July, this and the past 5 chapters would have been on my birthday! Ehmahgerd! Anyway, yeah, I can't be bothered to go back and change it. I'm really sorry for not updating, but I've got LOADS of revising to do for upcoming resits. Not fun. I love you all. You requested citrus, you SHALL GET YOUR CITRUS! **

"Hey… I just realised… You know that guy in the library that made you go ballistic but incredibly sexy?" Loki looked at me from the corner of his eye. We were in the kitchen and he was tinkering with the Cornucopia on the counter. I was cleaning the surfaces because I can't stand a sticky counter. "Mmhmm?" He hummed with amusement, keeping his gaze on me for a moment more before returning his stare to the small golden horn. "It was Wayne." He looked back up at me. "I didn't even notice…" I mumbled under my breath.  
"He seems to have a liking for fanfiction." Loki remarked and I chuckled.  
"He always did. He liked to write it as well but then I, ahem, destroyed his laptop." I didn't bother to look sheepish. The bastard got what he deserved.

"Oh? And why would you commit such a crime?" Loki asked with a breathless chuckle. Damn, it sounds nice. I gave him a cheeky grin.  
"I finally had enough of his shit." I explained, "He used to be extremely dominant. Forbidding me to see certain people, go certain places, do certain things. He basically had me in chains for a year." I noticed Loki's knuckles go white; he was clenching his fists. "But I broke free of them and not only beat the shit out of him, but I beat the shit out of his laptop." I said with a smug grin. He visibly relaxed and he looked at me.  
"That's my girl." He murmured proudly. Heh heh.

"So, what have you got on the Cornucopia?" I asked, discarding the wipe into the bin and leaning on the counter, crossing my arms. He picked it up and held it by the chain.  
"It has few enchantments on it, surprisingly. I would expect a trinket such as this would have protective seals, defensive systems… Abudantia must have removed some… Did Invidian comment on anything about this protecting you when he gave it you?" Oh yeah, Wayne's Invidian… Whoops.

"No, he didn't. Just that it was a sign that he trusted me. Wow, I guess he really did trust me back then. Hah, bet he wishes he hadn't!" I exclaimed with satisfaction.  
"Indeed." Loki said with badly obscured amusement, "Only of trust… Hmm…" Loki was thinking very hard about something. I nearly decided to just leave him to his thinking. It is, after all, a very important topic. But I hadn't kissed him in ages. And I hate to be lacking that. (**I was driving myself nuts trying to think of the correct words to go here. It was on the tip of my tongue and I couldn't remember it. Grargh.**)

So, ignoring my inner refusals and, instead listening to my heart's iddy biddy voice, I walked over silently. He hardly noticed. He was in his 'thinking zone'. He didn't jolt when I traced my lips up his neck, jaw and cheek. Instead, he sighed and closed his eyes, leaning into my touch.

"What are you thinking about?" I murmured as I stood on my toes. He groaned very softly and inclined his head to mine, now resting on my forehead.  
"Nothing now. You've made my mind go blank…" He muttered with a pretend-accusing tone. I swelled with pride and smirked into the small gap between our faces, my eyes closed.  
"I do enjoy doing that…" I whispered and Loki chuckled, stepping forwards and claiming my lips.

It was nice and slow. Niiice and sloooow… Hm, speeding it up sounds nice… Niiice and faaaast… "My, my, we have been moving along fast, haven't we?" Loki mumbled.  
"I suppose we have." I replied, pulling away for a moment, "Is that bad?" Loki responded by pulling me closer and kissing me senseless.  
"Not at all." Hehe, I love this man. It's strange to say that. I love him. I love Loki. Man, that sounds so strange. _It's not that strange, is it?_ Oh yeah… I always forget he can hear my thoughts… Hang on…  
_I suppose not. Just getting my head around this. I've a question for you._

_Fire away, mon amour. _Oh Gods…  
_Well, amoureux, you told me that you could only hear my thoughts if I wanted you to hear them or if I was experiencing intense emotion. It seems to me that you can hear them constantly now._ Loki smirked. Oh, I must have forgotten to say that we're still kissing. Just saying.  
_You're always experiencing intense emotion around me. _  
_That sounds a little egotistical, don't you think? _To punish me, he bit my bottom lip a little harder than one normally would. Ouch.  
_But you know it's true. You know I speak-think the truth, I mean. You're either brimming with lust, sadness or sheer happiness. Right now, it's a mix between the former and the latter. _

_Well, Doctor Loki, why not tell me heal my lip since you're such an expert in my emotions? You bit it rather hard, thank you._ It was true, he had. It was bleeding a little. Cheeky bugger.  
_I am an expert in your emotions. We are connected, truly. _Thinking with him must look pretty confusing, huh? I hope it's decipherable. He licked my bottom lip, sucking on it every now and then to rid me of the bleeding. It was damn arousing.

"As much as I love your voice in my head, I think it's time we actually used our tongues, hm?" Big mistake. Well, actually, now that I look back on it, I'm rather thankful that I said that. He smirked _very_ sexily and attacked my mouth with his tongue. _I am. Do join me._ Oh, that man will be the death of me…

His arms wrapped themselves around my waist and I stretched onto my toes. He never complained, but I knew that craning his neck down hurt a little when we were having one of our, ahem, snogging sessions. _So, what are we going to do now?_ I questioned.  
_Well, it's approximately quarter past eleven. I'd say that's bedtime._ Happy face.  
_Then what are we waiting for?_ My final rhetorical question seemed to feed the fire, as the world disappeared for a moment and then reappeared, as though it had never vanished. Only this time, we were in our room. Hm, our room. I like it. _You teleported us to get to bed quicker? That's surprisingly arousing._ And just like that, I was pushed onto the bed, Loki over me within a second.

He was dominating my body, my mouth, my thoughts, the selfish man. How very dare he? _You are constant in my mind, my lady. I think we are as selfish as each other in this case_. Vaguely, in the back of my mind, I wondered when Loki would tell me he loved me, if he did. I hoped he didn't hear it, but he did. The kissing did not stop, but his thoughts went blank for a moment. He waved his hand lazily and suddenly, we were in our nightwear. Such a neat trick. That should come in handy, wink wink, hint hint, nudge nudge. If ya catch ma drift.

_My lady, I am not skilled in _those _words. I may have a silver tongue, but speaking of something so intense as that is not something I am accustomed to._ He murmured apologetically.  
_Don't feel pressured! You don't have to say it, whether you feel it or not. Just… let me know… Which is sort of a silly thing to say, isn't it? _Loki laughed aloud before nibbling my neck.  
_Only a little, love. _I felt like I was on fire. A mere week or so ago, I was sitting all depressed, going 'oh, woe is me', and now, NOW, I'm lying down with a literal God on top of me snogging me senseless and making me feel like I'm a God too. Not only that, but I've got a portion of power from said God's brother and two other Immortals are searching frantically for something in my possession, one of them already found me and now will be badgering me for months to be honest. Because that's how Way-Invidian rolls. Bastard. Come to think of it, his hair does grow unnaturally quickly, and it gets rather long before he decides to cut it… Hehe.

I was wearing the same nightdress as last night (apparently Loki appreciated it a lot) and he was wearing the sort of top and trousers you'd see in a Shakespeare play. You know, a white shirt with slightly poofy sleeves, the first three or four buttons are undone and the trousers fit very nicely but not too tightly. All in all, he looked simply delectable. Slowly, Loki's lips moved down to my collarbone and then to the top of my dress. He nibbled at it, catching my skin every now and then, tugging at it away from my skin. As much as heaven appealed to me, I'm pretty sure I'll be going to hell. Ah well.

I pushed Loki onto his back after a few more minutes of brilliance and kissed down his neck to his chest. He had a content smile upon his face, his arms holding me tight as his right hand massaged the small of my back and his left simply held my right thigh, his thumb stroking the flesh. I made sure to be very slow with undoing further buttons and working my way down. He groaned quietly and closed his eyes with pleasure. No part of his torso was left untouched, whether it was by my lips or my fingers. "You're beautiful, you know." I murmured against his skin. He didn't look down; he moved his left hand up to play with my hair.  
"I most certainly am not as beautiful as you, my love." I moved my body so that I was just lying on top of him, my face next to his.  
"No, I rather think you're gorgeous actually. You're just… perfect." I whispered. Gods, I sound sappy. He didn't appear to mind.  
"You're extremely modest, aren't you? You are a thousand times and more beautiful than the fairest Goddess deemed to be of any aesthetically pleasing rank. They do not compete with you. You are victorious over all others in your beauty." The small speech made me love him all the more.  
"And no other man could possibly have the place in my heart that holds you. Only Colin has a portion of my heart. The rest of it belongs to you. You selfish man." I teased at the end. Suddenly, he flipped us so that I was beneath him once again. He had a hand on my hip and the other arm above my head, bent at an angle.  
"And being selfish isn't that bad when it means that I own your heart, Alfirin."

**A fairly short chapter unfortunately. I wanted this to be a bit more citrus-y, but it just wouldn't come from my mind. Next chapter might be a bit more. Hope this has satisfied your wants! After viewing the reviews I got just earlier, I'm going to go with the majority vote, and the one saying the NEXT chapter is more likely anyway. So, next chapter, Loki is going to let Alfirin know :) If you have ANY questions whatsoever, please ask them! I'll try and answer them as well as I can :) Adios. **

**Luna **


	17. Chapter 16

Sleep came gradually for the both of us, as the adrenaline of finding what everyone had been looking for was still running hot through our bodies. It coursed through me like a raging river, and I was shaking a little. It merely prolonged my conscious state, which was annoying. So, I woke up feeling a little groggy but otherwise fine. Loki was still beside me, and was sleeping.

Damn, why did he have to look so damn perfect? It's just unfair. His pale skin blended with the whiteness outside of the window, his black hair making him seem angelic, standing out against his complexion and the pillow he was resting his head on. His shirt was still undone from yesterday, revealing his milky white chest to me. I could not stop staring for the life of me. _Damn, I am one lucky girl._ Loki twitched a little but didn't wake up. I nuzzled a little closer and shut my eyes, not intending to go back to sleep. Instead, I merely rested my head on his bare chest, listening to the gentle thudding of his heart. It was, I'll admit, a beautiful sound.

After a few minutes, his heart increased a little, and I could feel him beginning to awake. So, I did what any respectable woman would do in that situation. I pretended to be asleep, of course. He groaned a little and stretched a bit, before looking down at me, I think. I heard a small sigh and his lips brushed my forehead, his arms tightening around me. "Alfirin…" He murmured, and try as I might, I could not withhold the shiver that ran through me. "I know you're awake." Damn. That scuppered my plans. I smirked into his chest.  
"Bugger. How'd you know?"  
"Your shiver, your heart beat, your breathing and your twitching fingers." Oh. "Do I get a good morning kiss?" _Of course you do. That has just made me feel a lot more awake, thank you_.

I leaned up and gently kissed his lips. Almost immediately, we both pulled away. "Morning breath…" I muttered and flitted to the bathroom as quickly as my legs could carry me. Loki boomed with laughter as my face got even redder. That, I think you'll agree, was embarrassing.

After brushing my teeth thoroughly and my hair, I walked to the kitchen. Loki was already there, changed into a casual suit, and getting ready to beat an egg. "I'll be marking you again." Loki threw me a _very_ dirty smirk.  
"In what way?" I blushed deeply and crossed my arms.  
"In _judging_. Not that. Yet." I added in a very small voice. He still heard it and he winked at me, beckoning me over with a single finger and a sly grin.  
"You gave me a nine last time. What was my target for improvement?" He questioned, his tone telling me he already knew what it was, he just wanted to remind me. He had me cornered against the counter, him in front, the egg and the jug behind me.  
"To multi-task." I responded simply.  
"Then I shall." And he swooped in to capture my lips, his hands already beating the egg behind me. His mouth moved _at the same pace as his hand_ and I found it _very_ difficult to keep up.

After only six seconds, Loki pulled back and turned me around (after another smirk) and showed me the egg. Yet again, it was done to perfection. "That was unbelievably arousing." I murmured in astonishment.  
"I believe that's a ten." Loki stated smugly. I grinned.  
"More like an eleven." My Other chuckled in amusement and gave me space to move away.  
"Go to the table. Breakfast will be done soon, my lady." This was something new. Loki was making me breakfast. Usually, that would happen after sex, in a typical relationship, right? Wayne never did that for me, or any previous boyfriends. Not just randomly. "You'd best get used to it." He responded to my thoughts. Slowly, he guided me to the table, his hand on the small of my back. I wasn't really used to this, so I didn't know how to react. I sat awkwardly at the table with a very red face. He chuckled in amusement and went back to making breakfast. I watched Loki move about the kitchen effortlessly. He was making scrambled egg, as far as I could tell. Every now and then, he'd throw me a wink and send me a dirty thought. He was in a _very _sexual mood this morning… I'm not entirely complaining.

"Bon appetite." Loki announced as he set down my plate of food, and then his opposite me. I tentatively tried some and smiled warmly. He'd put maple syrup on it. "I had a feeling you'd appreciate it." I looked at him with a wink.  
"You're good at that, aren't you?" Oh my, the wink he gave me was to die for.

"What are we doing today?" I asked, already almost done with my eggs, as it had been so good that I just shovelled it in my mouth.  
"I was thinking a day of sex actually." I choked on the egg. _WHAT?_ Loki laughed loudly and didn't stop until a minute after my choking had ceased. "Your reaction…" He managed to mumble. He was in rather playful mood too. Loki? Playful? Me like…

"Were you joking?" I questioned, giving him my best seductive look. He stopped his muted chuckles and stared at me with such hunger that I felt like I was his prey. He inhaled deeply and leaned back in his seat, appraising me silently.  
"Another day, perhaps." I cocked an eyebrow.  
"Perhaps?" He smirked.  
"Inevitably." He corrected himself. I think my underwear got a little damp… Ahem…

"Then what _are_ we going to do today?" I put mine and Loki's plate away and leaned against the counter. He tilted his head and I watched him slowly look me up and down.  
"As much as the sex sounds _appealing_…" I gulped, "I think we should be checking in on the library, don't you?" Damn it… I nodded, trying not to seem too disappointed and made to walk away. But Loki's chuckles made me stop.  
"What?"  
"You. You seemed so neglected then. So disappointed." He grinned mischievously, "I already know what you'd like to do for the day." I didn't want to blush, truly, I didn't. So, I flirted straight back at him.  
"Oh, I'm sure you do." I smirked a little. He appeared to be liking this 'new' me.  
"And you know that I would _love_ to do that as well."  
"Don't I just?" That damn smirk…  
"But I like the surreptitiousness of kissing in the library." Take this, Loki!

"I think we'll be getting a little further than kissing today, don't you?" His reaction was simply electrifying. He stood up quickly, disregarding the chair, and stalked over to me. Rather than just claiming my face, he held it in his hands and closed his eyes, placing his forehead on mine. After a few moments, he pulled away again with a maddening smirk.  
"I can guarantee that we shall, my lady." That did it.

I grabbed his tie and pulled him to me and closed the space between our mouths eagerly and he returned the kiss with vigour. He most certainly was appreciative of me wearing the dress. Loki pushed me up onto the counter and wedged himself between my thighs, the material of the dress stretching. It was almost around my hips but I didn't notice. Only when he stroked the top of my thigh, did I realise. I held on tight to his jacket lapel, keeping his body flush against mine. His response was to grind his hips against my own. Dear Gods…

_It's official, I fucking love you. I just figured I'd let you know_. And with that, he thrust into me. I had never known pleasure like this before, and this was just… sky rocketing. How could someone be so… incredible? I don't even know how it's possible. I just… Grargh, words fail me.

_I've just thought of the perfect thing_. Loki whispered in my mind, as though he was having an epiphany.  
_Do share…_ His left arm was around my waist, his right hand still gripping my thigh. He thrust again.  
_I don't think so. It'll be a surprise._ Sad face.  
_What? Why? Can't you just tell me?_  
_No, that would ruin it. It will be… perfect._  
_I'll take your word for it…_ It was another three minutes before the kiss gradually stopped.

It was snowing outside like you wouldn't believe. It was a duvet on the ground, falling in thick blankets. The sky was simply grey and that was that. Snow covered the path, the road, everything, as we walked up to the library. As we approached, I began to peel off my gloves. I had just gotten the last one off when we saw the sign on the door. '_Closed due to weather. Will open when the forecasters are a little more accurate._' Oh, Casey. Still have no idea, by the way, what the hell happened to her yesterday.

"Great. This was pointless. No forbidden kissing." I sighed with disappointment. Loki looked at me from the corner of his eyes in amusement.  
"Not all is lost, my lady. We can find you a dress, can't we?" Shit.

I hate shopping. It's just so long and arduous and exhausting and _annoying_. If Loki felt the same way, he wasn't letting on. We plodded into shop after shop, immediately leaving if an assistant flirted with Loki or asked for me to strip for sizes. Some dresses were simply dreadful, and the assistants always wanted me to wear skimpy things, much to my chagrin (and Loki's delight).

"This is the last shop. Hear me? THE LAST ONE." I growled to Loki as we trudged in. Loki chuckled, seeming to not be at all affected by the four hour long walk.  
"I've a feeling this shop will be the one." He smirked.  
"If you do, why didn't we come here first?"  
"I only just saw it now." Hmph.

We split up and searched around, ignoring the awful music and claustrophobic conditions. _My lady, I believe I have solved the case._ Yes, I did end up introducing Sherlock Holmes to Loki. He found it very enjoyable actually, I am happy to say. _To your right_. I looked right and I managed to see his green eyes gazing at me from another section. I bustled over, having to claw my way through the shoppers, and caught my breath as I stopped next to him. He unhooked the dress from the pole and showed it to me. Of course, it was green. Floor length, a sort of veil-like material. It was a dark green, and had a gold belt at the bust. The belt was more like a load of golden jewels going around, and it had a satin green sash that would be tied at the back. It had a halter neck collar. All in all, it looked perfect.

Loki turned it over to reveal that it had a back to the dress. I grinned hugely and looked at him. He smiled genuinely back and kissed me softly before we went to the fitting rooms. He waited outside as I tried it on.

It was perfect. Fit perfectly. I admired myself in the mirror for a moment or two before calling Loki. I heard him mutter to the shop assistant and then I saw the shadow of his feet under the door. "Come in." I said with a smile on my face, unlocking the door and then turning back to the mirror. The door opened and Loki stepped inside. He stared, shutting the door absentmindedly. I was not expecting a reaction like this… I was expecting something like 'Oh, that's lovely. Now come on, let's go home.' Or something like that. He took a step forward and he looked at me in the mirror.

"You're simply… breath-taking…" He murmured under his breath, pulling me to him suddenly and burying his face in my hair that still had some remnants of snow in it from walking in the market place.  
"Really?" I found myself squeaking. I hadn't worn a dress in years, I'll have you know. Wearing one now, after all this time, and not having to worry about the ugliness was a miracle. It felt like a breath of fresh air.  
"Yes… Oh yes… You are gorgeous." It appeared to be having an effect on Loki as well. He was… emotional… Before I knew it, a tear or two were escaping. Goddamn it!

"You're crying…" He muttered, leaning back to wipe the tears away. I nodded reluctantly, sniffing.  
"I am… It feels so good to be appreciated. And to wear a dress in Gods know how long…" Loki kissed my forehead hard and then leaned his own on it. "You can't see the scars or the burns at all… I can hide it all and no one would be any the wiser… No one would see the ugliness…"  
"You're _not_ ugly." Loki whispered fiercely, "You're _not_. You're beautiful. You're incredible. You're my _Other_. I will not have you say things like that. You remember the punishments?" Oh Gods yes. How could I forget. "Precisely. Now… be happy and look gorgeous. Neither should be very difficult at all for you." I bloody love him.

**I'm not really very happy with this chapter. I know I said this chapter would have Loki saying 'I love you', but it would fit better next one, I think. There'll be a time skip, because so far, I've been doing these for the actual days. I'm going to skip to Saturday in the next chapter. Get to it quicker. Loki was OOC in this one, I'm sorry to say, but I suppose it's difficult to keep him in character anyway. This was not how I wanted this chapter to turn out, but I guess it could be worse. Very fluffy. Fluffy next chapter too. More plot the one after that probably, combined with some citrus. I'll be sure to put more in for the coming chapters. Cheers folks. Adios. God kveld. **

**Luna **


	18. Chapter 17

**Saturday the 18****th**** of December. Told you I would do a time skip. Sorry for the inconvenience :/ **

Today was going to be just brilliant. I could just tell. By the 'just', you should have been able to deduce my sarcasm. If you didn't… Well, I was being sarcastic. I woke up early, finding Loki next to me still. Since we discovered that we couldn't stray far from each other, he took to staying for the entirety of the night and day. The past few days had been moving alarmingly fast, and Saturday arrived in a blur.

I sighed and groaned when I realised what day it was. My hands covered my face and I grumbled like a child while Loki chuckled at me. "I daresay you'll enjoy yourself." He assured me between chortles. I didn't have the energy or willpower to glare at him so I just groaned louder. "Are you hungry?" I shook my head, still groaning. "Alfirin…" He swallowed my groan with a quick kiss. We had also found out that I had a rather bad case of morning breath recently. Extremely embarrassing. "Go get ready. Breakfast will be done soon." And he teleported out of our bed. I groaned really loudly so that he could hear me from the kitchen and I heard him laugh. And then something occurred to me suddenly. I could feel something. Down… I swore loudly. It had officially started. I was on my period. No sex with Loki, whether I wanted it or not.

I pulled myself out of bed and literally rolled to the bathroom. I stayed in the shower longer than necessary but it still felt too quick. Brushing my teeth was always a quick affair, and changing into a blouse and skirt (Some of my trousers had holes in, and the rest were in the wash) was too fast.

A steaming mug of tea was waiting for me on the table with a plate of deliciously smelling waffles. I loved Loki even more. Being 'on' made me (and most other women) very temperamental. My stomach was cramping already and I shovelled the waffles in my mouth, gulping down the scalding tea. Looks like I'd have to make a stop before the library to the shop. Casey would always know if it was my time of the month if I arrived with a bag filled with chocolate. Sometimes, I'd offer her some. If I felt like it.

I grabbed a tablet and swallowed it with some water before cursing lowly. "What's wrong?" Loki's voice was soft and I turned reluctantly.  
"It has begun." I grumbled dramatically. He tilted his head. Fuck, don't tell me I'll have to spell it out for him…  
"What has begun?" He questioned with a frown. Fuckedy fuck.  
"IT. The woman thing. You know, time of the month." He nodded in response and then smirked a little.  
"Looks like no sex for you." I frowned at him indignantly.  
"No sex for you either, mister!" He shrugged in recognition and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked stylish, I must say. Oh, great, here come the hormones.

"Well… All is not lost. We can wait for a week. Can't we?" I hung my head.  
"I suppose…" He chuckled and told me to put my shoes as we were nearly late thanks to my prolonged shower.

The library doors opened and we walked in, my bag of chocolate almost full to the brim. The shopkeeper, Kent, didn't ask any questions. He always knew. My bag was choc full (ignore the pun) of Galaxy, Mars bars and Dairy Milk. Most of them were moderate sizes but I got a huge bar of Galaxy for sharing with Loki. Apparently, he's never tried chocolate. This was going to be fun.

Casey smiled at me and Loki as we walked in, definitely over her strange bout of spite last week. She took note of the bag and smiled sympathetically at the both of us. Me because I was suffering and Loki because he'd have to put up with me. "Not much to do today, Allie." She called me that, for once, "It's a Saturday and it's still snowing heavily so you two can really just relax upstairs."  
"What will you be doing for the day?" I questioned, pulling off my hat and scarf, my gloves already stowed safely in my coat pocket.  
"Reading mostly. I'll just be sitting here and reading Harry Potter." I grinned in approval.  
"Alright, we'll be upstairs." Casey nodded and picked up the Order of the Phoenix.

She had been extra friendly as of late, trying to make up for whatever the hell had happened to her. She didn't even know. All she could say was 'I honestly had no idea what I was doing.' Strange. Loki hadn't offered any thoughts as to what was going on, but it didn't worry me very much anymore. After putting my stuff in the office and giving Casey two chocolate bars, we walked up the stairs, Mr Handsome having a jolly good time looking at my arse. "Very amusing, Alfirin."  
"Very amusing, Loki." I retorted with a cheeky grin. He simply laughed and we went to the secluded area of the library. If what Casey had said was true, we would be undisturbed for the majority of the day.

I immediately flounced to the sofa and collapsed on it, lazily scooching up for Loki. "I freaking hate these damn… things…" I muttered, referring to the cramps and the periods. I want to kill them.  
"It's only for a week." Loki comforted me with a smile in his voice. Clearly, he found this whole situation very amusing. Bastard. "Would you like some chocolate?" He murmured to me, a smug smile on his face too.  
"Yes." I said grumpily. He opened up the bag and took out a Dairy Milk Bar and a Half. We adjusted ourselves so that we laying as we had the last time we were in there. His chest was very comfortable, as always. I snapped off a chunk and then another for Loki. "You'll understand why everyone loves chocolate now." I told him as I offered it to him. He smiled and took it.  
"Hopefully I'll agree."  
"You better…" I muttered with fair warning in my voice before popping the chocolate in my mouth. "If I could, I would marry Pierre Caffarel." I could feel Loki tense beneath me.

"Who, might I ask, is Pierre Paul Caffarel?" Loki questioned, his tone hard and stony. Oh, he was jealous, the adorable man.  
"He _created _the traditional chocolate. He was alive in the nineteenth century, so you needn't worry, Loki." I turned to wink at him and he rolled his eyes.  
"Thank you for putting my mind at ease now rather than later." I straightened and kissed his jaw.  
"Any time. Now eat the chocolate." He looked at the chunk in his hand.

"Alfirin, it has melted." He informed me, showing me his hand. He had chocolate on his fingers, the little bit of brown barely staying solid.  
"I guess it just couldn't withstand your hotness." I grinned. He cocked an eyebrow at me and then looked at the chocolate before looking back at me. A mischievous smirk worked its way on his face. I had a feeling I was in for something devious. Slowly, he licked the little bit of brown. No. Way. Was he…?

He licked it a few more times before placing it in his mouth, licking his lips slowly while keeping his eyes on me. He swallowed it and winked. Then, THEN, Loki began to lick his fingers. I have never been so turned on in my life. Never. Never ever ever. Dear Gods… His tongue worked its way around his fingers, getting all the dribbles of chocolate trickling down them, all the while his eyes were locked with mine. My neck was hurting from craning it so I adjusted myself so that I was laying on my front on his front. And then, an evil thought was planted in my mind. It was crafty, and villainous, but it served him right.

Before he could lick his hand again, I grabbed Loki's wrist and pulled it to my face. I looked at his faintly surprised face for a moment more before running my tongue over his wet fingers. Gods, that sounds wrong! Ah well… It was meant to be good, and I think it was for Loki. He groaned softly as he watched me work my way around his fingers. They were getting sticky, but we could wash them in a while. I could literally _feel_ his heat and his trousers getting tighter and tighter. Oh my God, I was turning him on, I was turning on a God… I felt like laughing hysterically. I blame the time of the month.

Just as I finished 'cleaning' his hand, Loki snapped off another chunk of chocolate, quickly placing it in his mouth and pulling me in for a kiss. It was hot and quick, Loki pushing the chocolate into my mouth and then taking it straight back out again with his tongue. I ached for the taste of the chocolate and for him, so I simply delved in to his mouth. Insert evil laugh. It was awkward doing this lying down, so I slowly sat up to straddle him, hands on the sides of his face. My skirt was riding up, but I didn't care. His own fingers kneaded into the flesh of the small of my back, having just un-tucked my blouse from my skirt. Surreptitious… Damn, I love that word.

His hands sort of stuck to my skin, but oh well, can't have it all. I think if the kiss got any deeper, we'd drown. But it wouldn't do _that_, psh, no it wo-oh. It did. I thought it was impossible but apparently not. Loki proves me wrong rather a lot actually. Sneaky devil. _How can you taste this good? It can't be legal._  
_I'm not one to play by the rules_. Oh Gods… It's awkward being 'on' and being _turned_ on at the same time. You can't tell which is which… Ahem…

Oh my God… Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God… He just… He just… Squeezed my breast… Oh God… I think… You can tell… How… Affected… I am… By this… 'man'… This… SEX GOD… _How flattering_.  
_HOW CAN YOU BE THIS INCREDIBLY SEXY AND BEAUTIFUL? _  
_Luck, I guess. I should be asking you that. _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… HE SQUEEZED IT AGAIN… Oh for fuck's sake, my hormones are ALL OVER THE FUCKING PLACE! GRARGH! MAKE IT STOP!

His hands felt like fucking magic. They just… They just… They just… Dear Gods, he was kissing me at the same pace as he was massaging me… I felt like giggling weirdly. I probably did but Loki ignored it. Snog-a-thon to the maximum!

Suddenly, Loki switched us so that I was on the bottom, legs still around his waist and he was on top. The sofa was comfortable but the cushions were sinking around us, making it a little constricting. We ignored it, though, and chose to listen to our lusty desires. Ya know. As ya do. The grinding of the hips felt absolutely delicious, I must say. He'd chosen a new method and everything; a figure of eight movement. I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment. Nervous giggle.

And then Loki withdrew suddenly, smirking down at me and just staring at me. I had no doubt that I looked rather dishevelled and my lips were probably swollen and everything. But he just looked at me, as though… adoring me… No, I'm imagining it. Probably. It'd make sense, but I had to be imagining it…

"You are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on." Loki whispered harshly, but soft in volume, "I would tell you how I feel now… But I have the perfect way of doing so. And I cannot ruin it." My face was beet red and I gulped, lowering my eyes to just below his chin. He took my face carefully and brought it up again, making me look at him. "Alfirin. Please. Do not doubt yourself or my feelings for you. Ever. I beg of you." It looked like it was genuinely hurting him that I could not accept that I was apparently the 'most beautiful creature' he had seen. And that I was doubting his love for me. I guess we'll just have to see.

Fucking hate dresses. They're just so… inconvenient. This one was awesome, but they just… Get in the way… I've always preferred trousers and shorts to dresses and skirts. Skorts are cool, I guess. I wasn't very adventurous with my hair or makeup at all. It was just basic stuff. Curled hair a little, some mascara, eye liner and a smidgy bit of lip gloss/lip balm. I sighed at myself in the mirror. It felt like I was trying too hard, even though it was hardly anything. I think Loki disagreed.

Upon exiting the bathroom, I slowly made my way to the lounge where Loki would be waiting for me in all of his suited glory. I walked through quickly, hoping we could just leave before he could offer me any opinion. I felt embarrassed to be in a dress again after so long, and dressing up like a _real_ woman. It didn't really work. He sensed my arrival anyway, and I barely managed to walk past without him trying to snog me again.

Instead, he grabbed my shoulders and spun me around to face him gently. I refused to have eye contact as he silently stared at me. I couldn't help but take a gander at what he looked like. A sharp suit and dark green shirt on underneath. The tie was black, as was the jacket and trousers. He looked positively divine. Dear Gods…

"Alfirin… Why won't you look at me?" I gulped and shrugged. Truth be told, I didn't truly know why. I guess it was just embarrassment. Sure, he'd seen me wearing the dress the other day, but now I was all dressed up and everything, makeup and all. I didn't want to be called a whore. Not again. That's it. "No. _No_!" Loki shouted, startling me. He gripped my shoulders tightly. "You're _not_ a whore. Why won't you just accept that you're beautiful? Why can't you just understand that it matters not what other people think. All that matters is what you and I think and know." He was getting emotional because I couldn't accept my apparent beauty? "Alfirin, please, just… Look at yourself. You are… amazing. You are stunning. You are _radiant_. Please… Do not make me beg, my love. Do not make me beg." I would not. I would not make him beg. It would wound his pride and our relationship and me. I wouldn't be able to take Loki begging me.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, "I'm so sorry, Loki. I just… I've spent so long thinking that I am nothing, because I have had no one to be there for me. Colin was away, Francesca was away, Wayne was a bastard… I had no one. And now, suddenly… You're here. Just like that. And it's just… It's so difficult to have to deal with clashing opinions of myself." I confessed in hushed tones. Loki looked like he wanted to cry for me. _Don't cry, Loki… Please don't… Oh Gods, don't cry, Alfirin! We shouldn't be crying now! _My Other sniffed a little and embraced me hard. It felt so strange to have him, of all people, to care so much for me. He was _hugging_ me. He was on the verge of _crying_ for me. He was going to _beg _for me. That's not easy to deal with!  
"Then, my lady, we must leave, shouldn't we?" I nodded and we parted. I wiped my eyes carefully, making sure not to smudge any makeup and Loki clasped my hands before I could continue.  
"You look _fine_. More than fine. Shall we go?" I love him so much.

The party, I am surprised to say, was not a shamble. It was rather beautiful, actually. The party was held in one huge room containing tables, a bar, a dance floor and a designated 'make-out corner'. People seemed to be mingling and latching onto random conversations. Our arrival went unnoticed, which I am happy about. Slowly, we made our way through the guests. It was difficult, because we had to split at a few points in order to get past.

There was an undisturbed spot by a wall that we were heading for. Neither I or Loki were big on parties, so we decided we'd stick by there until it was acceptable for us to leave. It was a stone pillar, nice and cold. I leaned my left arm on it, sighing wistfully. I really felt like a cup of tea, but they wouldn't be selling it. Loki smirked at me. "I'm sure I can find you some." He stroked my cheek and then disappeared into the crowd. I chuckled under my breath and watched the guests dance and converse.

They were all the same. Same hand gestures, same basic dance moves. Not many people could actually dance here, at least, not formally. I had a few lessons when I was younger, but that was about it. Loki, no doubt, would be a professional, simply because he's him. I felt a little dizzy spell coming on and I looked around for any kind of exit outside. My gaze fell on a door to some sort of patio. It could have been a balcony, it might not have been. It was difficult to tell with this building because there were so many random levels where they were unnecessary.

"My lady." I turned, smiling. I had been expecting Loki. It wasn't Loki. Hmph. It was a man with grey hair, not greying with age, and vibrant blue eyes. My smile sort of dropped as I realised that Loki would not be able to jump in any time soon to save me from the mess. "I couldn't help but notice you watching me from across the room." I frowned.  
"Watching you?" I wondered aloud. The man nodded.  
"Indeed. I was standing by the doors over there, the ones that go out onto the balcony." Oh. Whoops. I smiled somewhat apologetically.  
"Oh, no, sir, you must be mistaken. I was merely looking to see if I could go outside if need be." The man's face soured a little, but otherwise remained open and friendly.  
"Well, would you accompany me out there?" Hell no.

"I'm sorry, sir, but no thank you. I'm already here with someone. He should be here shortly." I explained quickly, mentally shouting at Loki to arrive. Man, I depend on Loki way too much. I can't help it. I need his sexiness here to keep me living. Speaking of such, as Loki was getting further away from me in the room, my heart was tugging and tugging. He was, unfortunately, right on the other side of the room. As I said before, the room was HUGE. My heart felt like it was being dragged slightly to the left, which is where Loki had disappeared off to. _I am approaching as fast as I can, my lady. Do not panic_. I relaxed a little. The man frowned.

"Oh? And who is this mystery man?" He questioned, slight bitterness in his voice.  
"I am. Sir." Loki's voice sounded from right behind me, his arm slipping around my waist. It sounded as though he added the title to seem polite, as an afterthought. The man harrumphed and nodded to him. He then looked at me.  
"It was a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Should you need anything, I can say that I shall not be far away." Well, that's a little creepy. He bowed to me, nodded curtly to Loki and walked away.

"This is really annoying me now." I muttered, referring to the man and his behaviour. Loki chuckled.  
"But it simply proves how desirable you are. I agree completely with him, however much I despise him and his mortal status." I felt like I should defend the mortals, but at the time, all I could think of was tea. Loki presented a hot mug of tea out of nowhere, scalding hot and done to perfection. I sipped it and beamed. "Did you make this?" I asked him suspiciously. Loki sheepishly shrugged.  
"It didn't take much to persuade the bartender." He said simply. I smirked and kissed the corner of his mouth.  
"Thank you very much, mon amour." I murmured, and then sipped some more tea. It wasn't long before it was gone. As soon as I drained the last drop, Loki had whisked the mug away, placing it on a random nearby table.

"Would you like to dance?" Loki questioned, gesturing to the dance floor. I shrugged.  
"If you wish." I responded. Loki smirked.  
"I wish it very much." And with that, he led me to the groups of people dancing. I hadn't danced in… how long? I've no idea. Must have been years, I'd wager. So, obviously, I was a little nervous as to whether I'd be any good or not. We stopped near the middle of the floor. "Relax, my lady. If you feel uncertain, simply follow my lead." He assured me, whispering in my ear. He placed his hand on my waist and grasped my right hand with the other. Slowly, we began to dance.

It was a bit easier than I thought it would be, but I kept looking at my feet. If I stepped on Loki's toes, that would be very embarrassing. Although, he's so graceful, he'd probably just move out of the way. "Eyes on me, Alfirin." Gods, I loved it when he said my name. His eyes were simply beautiful. The most delicate shade of blue-green I had ever seen. When I had first laid eyes on him, they appeared to be pure green. Now that I can gaze at them openly, I could tell what colour they really were. "You have beautiful eyes…" I muttered under my breath. The world was a sort of blur. Maybe it's because we were spinning.  
"Your eyes are the window to your soul." Loki replied, "A radiant mix between green and brown." Whoah, wait, what?  
"Green and brown?" I questioned with a surprised frown, "You can see both of the colours?" Loki nodded with a chuckle.  
"Of course I can. I see the blending colours as clear as I see your body in front of me." Couldn't help but blush at that.

"Not many people can…" I mumbled. Loki's smirk intensified.  
"Did you expect the same from me? I'm your Other. Alfirin, I can see everything of you that would normally be concealed to mortals." And then his smirk became mischievous. "And soon, I'll be seeing a whole lot more than other men have seen." Oh dear Gods…  
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Wayne _has_ seen me naked." Loki sighed with irritation.  
"And that irks me so." The music was somewhat slow, a Tchaikovsky piece I recognised.

We were silent for a few more minutes, just dancing and watching each other, as every time I looked at my feet, Loki would chide me.

Dancing in a crowded room, obviously, gets very hot. Loki suggested we go outside, and I agreed. We made our way through the multiple dance partners to the edge, ignoring any attempts at conversation from random guests. Loki flicked his wrist and the door opened, allowing us through. I didn't look to see if anyone noticed. Chances are, no one would.

The cold air was just what I need, if not a bit on the nippy side. After all, I was only wearing that green dress. "Would you like another drink?" Loki offered. I shook my head with a smile.  
"No thanks. I'm fine right now." He nodded and we stood in silence, looking out over the balcony. It overlooked the huge garden. I realised that I had no idea who was actually throwing the party.

"Alfirin." I looked at my Other, "I have something I wish to tell you." I watched him expectantly. He appeared to be a little nervous. I noticed his fist clenching and unclenching.  
"Loki, is something wrong?" He looked at me sharply with a small smile.  
"Not exactly. Bear with me, my lady." I nodded, tilting my head in curiosity. After another few moments, Loki turned to me and inhaled deeply.

"Alfirin. As I have already told you, I am not accustomed to speaking of affection so openly." Hang on… Was he…? "But, you are my Other. Therefore, I must tell you everything that weighs so heavily upon my mind and heart, as you must do the same for me." He was… He was!

"I am… completely… in love with you." Oh. "I cannot abide being apart from you, and every breath I take is laboured, whether I am right in front of you or in the next room." My. "You are the air I breathe, the food I eat and the water I drink. Or tea, whichever you prefer." Gods. "If you were to disappear, or refuse my love for you, I would be a broken man forever and longer than I can live for. I do not wish to beg for you to stay with me, but if I must, then I shall." Oh my Gods, oh my Gods, oh my Gods, oh my Gods… "Please… Just say something, before I truly lose my mind." Oh my Gods, oh my Gods, oh my-oh, is he asking me something? Shit.

"I… I'm sorry, my mind has gone completely blank." I said calmly, "I am finding it rather difficult to breathe at present, and I think I may pass out soon. Do catch me if I happen to prove that right." Loki looked like he wanted to chuckle, but his anxiety proved to be too much to allow him so much as a quirked lip. "I think the only thing I can say is that I love you too, I will _never_ leave you, _could_ never leave you, and that I would start becoming suicidal again if everything you said was a lie." Loki laughed with relief and amusement. He embraced me quickly, cradling the back of my head in his hand.  
"You have… _no_ idea how pleased I am." He murmured under his breath with a breathy chuckle.

"Oh, Loki, you do amuse me so, despite the fact that you've confessed your love to another woman." We spun around to find Gracelyn on the balcony, dressed in a slim black dress with a slit up the sides of the dress. Her hair was shifting from blonde to brown constantly and her eyes were white. "Alfirin. A pleasure to meet you again. I'm Anaisa Pye. Now, kindly step away from my prince so that I can kill you."

**CLIFFHANGER. There you have it, Loki has confessed! It was difficult doing this one, for some reason. I'm rather fond of the beginning actually. I think that should have satisfied any citrus/fluff you've all be waiting for. I'm trying to update often (or at least write more), but it's hard because of my resits and exams and shit. Oh my, it is so fun. Not. Hope you enjoyed this, guys. Cheers folks. Adios. God kveld. **

**Luna **


	19. Chapter 18

I stared. Gracelyn-Anaisa Pye, I mean, was calling Loki _her_ prince. Hell no, bitch. "Anaisa…" Loki appraised her coldly, "I can assure you that the pleasure is, in fact, all yours. How very like you to have such a dramatic entrance." Anaisa smirked.  
"My favourites are when I burst in with fire and ice. They're always interesting." Hmph. "Now, I won't tell you again, Alfirin. Step away from my prince." Excuse me, bitch, but I don't believe I shall.

"As tempting as that sounds, Anaisa, I think I'd rather stay put. I'm a rather lazy person after all." I remarked calmly. The Goddess smiled in amusement.  
"Shall I rephrase that? I think I shall. Step away from my prince, or I kill you." She corrected herself for me.  
"No, that reiteration doesn't really help. In any case, you're going to 'kill' me anyway." She didn't know that I couldn't die. *Insert evil laugh* Anaisa sighed.  
"Yes, I suppose that is true. Oh well. Step aside and it'll be less painful." My anger was boiling but I was concentrating. Now was the _perfect_ time to practice using my newly acquired powers. So, I was making myself angrier and angrier (Anaisa's mere presence was contributing rather a lot) but I was managing to keep the raw power inside. It was difficult, needless to say, but I was succeeding. More or less. I hid my hands behind my back so that she couldn't see the crackling white sparks bouncing in my palm and spiking from my fingertips.

"You can hardly expect me to allow you to hurt her, Anaisa." Loki spoke up, his voice calm and cold.  
"No, I suppose I can't. But I'll certainly try." She threatened lowly, her eyes becoming a little brighter and her glare focussing on me. Instinct told me to strike her with the lightning. Or at least try to use it. So I did. And it was a good thing too. I threw my arms out in front of me, attempting to aim the lightning at Anaisa, and it clashed with the white beams that shot from her eyes. Phew.

It deflected the beams into the windows, smashing the glass like it was nothing and bouncing off of a chandelier. Said chandelier fell to the floor, almost killing four guests. Anaisa ignored it and shot another beam of energy our way. I don't even know what to call them. I'm going to call them Beams from now on. With a capital 'B'. So, she aimed more Beams our way. Well, I say 'our' way, I mean my way. I ignored the screaming guests running away and deflected it again. I glanced at Loki to find him casually leaning on the side with a cheerful smirk on his face.

_Thanks for the help, Loki. No, seriously, cheers very much. _  
_You're very welcome, my lady. _He winked at me and I clenched my fists, almost getting hit in the face by the Beams. Anaisa laughed loudly, and it was a beautiful laugh I am sad to say. Before allowing her to finish her chortles, I threw a ball of electricity at her. It enveloped her body and she screamed with fury and pain. _When this is over, and you've defeated her, I will take you, body and soul_. I gulped.  
_As terrific as that sounds, I'm still ON. You'll have to wait approximately five days. Until then, have fun being deprived. _(**THIS IS THE WORD I WAS LOOKING FOR ALL THOSE CHAPTERS AGO! GRARGH!**)

Anaisa managed to remove the electricity and she stood, glaring at me, her hair and face singed. It was quite amusing actually. "You shall regret that! You-." I sent lightning from my fingertips into her body. She shuddered and screamed, not being able to finish her sentence. The use of the abilities were exhausting, and my fingers ached, so I stopped after a few more seconds. Anaisa stood with a gaping look on her face, her entire body burned. It was already healing, however, but she was still suffering a lot. I stared at her. She stared back at me and then at Loki. She pointed a trembling finger at him.

"You do not have to wait long, my prince. I will have you, and we will be together, the treacherous snake who has cast an illusion of love on you shall be dead, and we shall reign supreme with the Cornucopia. All we must do, is find it."  
"Well, I do hate to effectively 'burst your bubble'," Loki spoke evenly, using air quotes, "but the Cornucopia has already been found." The Loa gasped in shock.

"What? You've… You've found it?" She whispered. Loki nodded casually.  
"Indeed. In fact, Alfirin had it in her possession the whole time." He explained. He then gestured with his hand for her to leave, as though 'shooing' her away. "Off you go now." She glared and turned her menacing gaze on me, who was simply standing there with burned fingertips.  
"You… witch…" She intoned and then sent a Beam my way, just before teleporting away.

The impact knocked me off my feet, as I had been unprepared, and sent me somersaulting over the balcony. Damn, that hurt. I landed on the cold stone floor on my front, my head cracking against the ground. It hurt like a fucking bitch. I heard Loki land beside me gracefully and he was suddenly right beside me, trying to work out what to do. "Alfirin… Oh, Alfirin… Look at me… Please…" I tried, I honestly did. But it was so difficult do that when your body was broken. I wheezed and coughed, trying to catch my breath through the immense pain. I've been through worse, I can say. I can also say that I was not expecting the Beam to hurt _quite_ that much.

Slowly, I pushed myself up before rolling and collapsing on my back. Loki's face immediately came into view and he stared at me, worrying his sexy arse off. "I honestly cannot believe you are still thinking such naughty thoughts when your body is broken and you can barely breathe." Loki chuckled anxiously at my antics.

_It's a skill. And I love it when you say 'naughty'. It sounds so… seductive_. I managed to think to him. He frowned down at me worriedly after allowing himself another chuckle.  
"What shall I do?" He questioned, running a hand through my hair and down my cheek, his other hand resting lightly in my stomach.  
_Teleporting us back to bed would be great. I'll wake up in a few more days._ My eyes were beginning to close, but I had to make sure Loki was fine. He nodded quickly and the world shifted, returning suddenly with a different scenery; one of our room. Unfortunately, he missed a little, and I was still on the floor. He cursed under his breath and picked me up gently, making sure not to aggravate my injuries.

Loki laid me on the bed, on my side, and waved his hand. My dress transformed into a nightgown, the attire I had been in earlier materialising on a coat hanger on the door. How arousing. It was difficult to be aroused in my current state, but I managed it. I'm quite proud of myself actually. "Do you need anything else? Are you sure it will only be a few days?" Loki enquired. I forced my throat to work.  
"You beside me will do just fine. It'll be a week maximum." I croaked. He sighed and nodded with disappointment and sorrow. I put my hand on his face, despite how difficult it was, and smiled softly. "Don't worry. I'm sure you can survive for another few days without my lovely sarcasm and naughty thoughts."

"I'm not sure I shall." Loki mumbled, his arms wrapping themselves around my waist, his own clothes suddenly becoming pyjamas and the covers suddenly over us. A thought occurred to me, but I didn't voice it. But, because of our telepathy thing, Loki heard it nevertheless. "I'll cast a spell so that you don't 'bleed through' as you lightly put it." He chuckled. I sighed in relief and smiled.  
"Good good. Now, let me sleep." We shared a quick kiss. "Good night, Loki."  
"Good night, Alfirin." There was a long pause.

"I love you."  
"I love you too." And then the world went dark, for approximately four days.

**This was so short, but I was really anxious to put this up, because, ya know, I just wanted to post something. I'm so sorry for the shortness, but I hope you guys will forgive me as I am WORKING ON THE NEXT CHAPTER ASAP. So, not a lot of fluff or citrus in this, but now all of the Immortals have revealed themselves. And there has been a public disturbance caused by supernatural entities! I'll leave you guys to guess what this means ;D By the way, if you guys could follow me on Tumblr, I'll love you all forever. I've no idea how to customise my profile and shizz, but yeah, if you could follow 'lunanovella', I'll give you cookies. I reblog lots of Loki, Sherlock, Doctor Who and just generally amusing things, so it'll mean a lot if you follow me! LOVE YOU ALL, ESPECIALLY YOU! YES, YOU! Anywho, I am actually so shocked at how popular this story is! 121 followers, 88 favourites and 66 reviews! I fucking love you all! Woo, double numbers in all of them! Quick question to TheBreathlessWind, can you tell me the name of the song, as the link doesn't work for whatever reason :S That's all I wanted to say, so keep reading! Tom Hiddleston loves you! Cheers folks! Adios! God kveld! **

**Luna **

**P.S: God, that was a lot of exclamation marks… **


	20. Chapter 18 Note

**Hey, guys, I've had two ideas, and I'd like to know your opinion. I've been on Tumblr and gotten myself obsessed with Tom Hiddleston, the selfish beautiful bastard. I've watched a few interviews concerning him, and I'm tempted to do an interview of him and a girl that I make up, who star in the film of Immortality (which has most of the citrus scenes left out). The girl would be bouncy and weird, just like Tom, and I'd make her just a generally strange but hopefully amusing person. It would basically be like a Tom/OC kind of thing. If you like the sound of this idea, review this story and let me know whether it should be part of this one and labelled as Tom Hiddleston One Shot (Not Part Of Story) or whatever, or if it should be a separate one shot story. I might expand it, depending on how I feel. LET ME KNOW PLEASE. **

**Idea number two! Woo! Rhyme! Anywho, it was basically an ALTERNATIVE MEETING of Loki and Alfirin. I came up with it while I was just sitting in bed this morning, thinking. This would have Loki being a bit more 'Loki-ish' and more angsty. Also, he might try and strangle her a little. BUT, there would be something added in there that I may add in the original story, which might make it all the more interesting. I'd put it in Immortality labelled as THE ALTERNATIVE BEGINNING, and then, yeah, we'd see how it goes. I'm actually obsessed with this now. OBSESSED. LET ME KNOW PLEASE. **

**Cheers folks! Adios! God morn (as it is here in Britain)! **

**Luna **


	21. Chapter 19

The darkness was thick and unforgiving, punishing me with nightmares when I tried to fight the black. It was like I was drowning, and I had no way of swimming to the surface. I had to let the ocean run its course and pray that it swept me to where I needed to be without killing me first. Mental demons would suddenly appear, taunting me, downgrading me and scorning me for my desires and needs. Telling me I wasn't strong enough or good enough or worthy enough. And there was always Colin there. Staring at me. Doing nothing. His face had a faintly remorseful look but other than that, he was emotionless. As though he no longer cared…

This happened every time I was 'dead'. I had no doubt that Loki could see and feel what I was enduring. It made me feel weak and vulnerable. My demons were happy with this. I think they enjoyed it. Hell, of course they did. That's their job, isn't it? Gain enjoyment from inner battles and emotional breakdowns? That kind of thing? And then, suddenly, the dream shifted into something terrifying but beautiful at the same time.

I was lying on a bed. Green drapes on a four poster bed, with golden linen on the edges. I was not chained or bound or gagged physically in any way, but I could not move my limbs for the life of me. I had heard of these kinds of dreams from horny teenage girls when I was still in high school, and they dreamed that they were ravished by celebrities or fictional characters, or even boys at school, and then they wake up and feel like they've wet the bed four times over.

A small chuckle sounded from the dark depths of the room I was in. All I could see was the bed. A face appeared in the black surroundings, as though the room was simply a black fog and that was it. It was Loki. He had a dark smirk on his face. Something in my mind told me that, maybe, this dream would be like those ones the teenagers spoke of. _This is the monstrous Loki, isn't? This is the broken Loki_.

"Alfirin… You've awoken…" He whispered, the tones making me shudder.  
"L-Loki…"  
"Hush." He silenced me immediately. "You will endure the silence." And, all of a sudden, I could not speak. I tried, I most certainly did, but not a sound exited my mouth. "Now, you cannot scream from what I am about to do to you…" Oh dear Gods…

He crawled up the bed slowly and menacingly, his battle suit making near to no sound. My breathing was ragged, and it seemed like that was the only sound I could make. "Are you afraid, Alfirin? Are you frightened for what I'm about to do to you? You're trembling…" And he was right. I was shaking all over. "Is it from fear? Or… Perhaps it's something else…" Oh my Gods… "Your _God_. I am your _God._ Just as you are _mine_." That sounded vaguely familiar, as though he had something approximate to it before. And then, suddenly, he bit my neck hard. It fucking hurt, I'll tell you now. He licked it and then bit it again in the same place. Ouch. I wanted to scream his name more than anything, but I couldn't. My freedom of speech had been stolen from me, just as my heart had. All I could do was breathe heavily.

His fingers sneaked down to my hips, massaging them slowly as he held himself up with an elbow propped by my head. His lips kept dipping into the curve of my neck, scraping his teeth against my throat none too gently. And then, his fingers gradually coasted down my thigh, slowly rising up to the hem of my dress. I shivered as the satin glided up my thighs and it ended up around my hips. Loki looked down and smirked at my underwear. What was I wearing again? I looked down quickly to find I was wearing simple white cotton underwear.

"I love it when a girl wears cotton underwear. It seems so… _innocent._" He growled. Oh my Gods… He pushed his thumb under the waistband. The heat in my stomach intensified to a fire that was impossible to put out. Loki hooked his thumb at the side of my underwear, looping the edges up. It strained the material and he grinned. I flushed.  
"Oh, you are most beautiful when you blush." He murmured against the flesh of my throat. His middle finger slowly stroked the pant line on my right leg. There was no way that I couldn't shudder.

The magical finger glided along the fabric before stroking precisely where my… ahem… was… I would have moaned breathily, had I been able to make noise, so I just had to inhale sharply. Close enough. I could feel my underwear getting damper by the second, and I suspect he was enjoying it, the selfish bastard. Terror gripped, just as much lust did, when I saw Loki's eyes staring into mine. They were a swirl of black, blue and green. When he is feeling especially lustful, his eyes darken to a deeper blue-green. But these eyes… They had black in them… He grinned evilly and moved the underwear aside.

Waking up was sudden, just like it always was. I sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. When I'm 'dead', I do not have a pulse, therefore, I do not breathe. Fuck all those vampire fictions. No pulse, no breath. Simple. "Alfirin!" I heard Loki shout from another part of my house (I've no idea where), but I was still trying to remember that I was alive. It never failed to shock me that I had lived, yet _again_, after each death. I'm just waiting for the time when I actually do die, and I don't wake up. This is the first time I'll be hoping it never comes.

"Alfirin…" I felt a hand on my shoulder and almost immediately I felt like I could breathe steadily. Loki shushed me and stroked my hair. "My lady… You've awoken." I gulped in some more air before answering.  
"I have… indeed… Where exactly were you?" I was pondering why it suddenly felt easier to breathe when Loki was beside me, and I had a theory.  
"I had literally just returned from the library. I informed Casey that you were ill with the flu, and would not be in. I told her you would be absent for today and we would see how well you recuperated." Loki explained.  
"You shouted my name almost as soon as I awoke…" Loki chuckled softly, holding me close.  
"I could feel your conscious levels suddenly increase."

"And you returned as soon as you sensed that?" I questioned.  
"Of course…" Loki looked at me intensely, "You were finding it difficult to breathe, weren't you?" I shrugged a little.  
"I don't breathe when I'm under, but when I woke, it didn't steady until you were in the next room or so, and then it went completely back to normal when you touched me, as though I wasn't just drowning." My Other's head tilted.  
"I see… The more time we spend in each other's company, the smaller the distance we can stray from one another…" He stroked my hair some more. It felt very nice.

"You know… I was pondering on something while you were… unconscious." Loki murmured after a three minute silence of us just holding each other.  
"Hm?" I hummed.  
"I think that your abilities only truly appeared when I came into your life." It sounded plausible, I suppose. "And did you know you speak while you are sleeping?" Oh God, what have I said? I stared at him with wide eyes.

"You whisper things in my mind, but I know you do not want me to hear them." Shit, what HAVE I SAID? Loki stared into my eyes deeply. Does he even know what he does to me?

"You were telling Colin to come back. And you were calling for me. Calling my name." His eyes were dark, "You were screaming my name, but not in fear. No, it was _not_ in fear… I wonder… What were you dreaming about?" I gulped. What exactly could I say? _Oh yeah, you were about to ravish me and you took away my movement and my voice. Ya know, casual dreams, as ya do._ Shit, I actually thought that. His eyes were darker than the blackness from which he materialised in my dream, yet _still_ managed to keep the blue-green tint. It wasn't like the dream Loki. I'm thankful that they weren't. It felt so alien to have such an incredible God want me. To need me. And I can't believe I am still doubting myself. I think if he was lying about everything that had occurred between us, I would not rest until I found a way to kill myself completely and utterly.

"What will it take for you to believe me? I want you. I do not want to trick you or use you. I want to own you, love you, caress you, hold you…" Loki whispered, still staring at me. It was so difficult to breathe now. So, in order to just make it even worse, I grabbed his face and snogged the hell out of him. He returned it earnestly, shoving his tongue into my mouth and gripping my shoulders. I think this was the second hottest kiss we've ever shared. The first? The one in the library, definitely. Have yet to get completely over it, actually.

I could not stop the moan building up inside of me from leaving my mouth. It's just impossible. I mean, seriously, who would be able to achieve it? Not me, that's for sure. _You do know that you are no longer ON, don't you? _Holy shit… I'm done! Ahahahaha! No more bleeding for another month! And that means… Yes! Sex! With Loki! Yes!

I actually laughed. I pulled away and laughed hysterically. It was the stupidest thing I had ever done in Loki's company, and I was blushing with embarrassment, but I couldn't stop. I had killed the moment. But, all was not lost, as Loki was chortling with me, a broad grin across his face. "That completely ruined the moment…" I mumbled with an apologetic smile.  
"All is not lost, my lady." Loki susurrated in my ear. "We can simply continue later." He had a marvellous point there.

"We've had a very exciting two weeks, haven't we?" I said as I fixed us some dinner. Loki smirked from where he was leaning on the counter.  
"Indeed we have, my lady. You've met four Gods, possessed an Immortal item, fought one said Gods, _and_ you've died once. That's rather impressive." He chuckled as I giggled softly.  
"Why thank you, I do try." I grinned, "And now that I'm _off_, we can have sex at some point too." I paused, "That such a blunt statement, it's actually embarrassing." Loki merely laughed at me with a wink.

"The public disturbance however…" Loki spoke up, "That will cause some… disruptions… within the government systems. Particularly the organisations built to protect the public from this." A very valid point.  
"But who on Earth would come here? Soggy Britain where _nothing_ interesting happens? The only exciting things here is the BBC dramas, and they're simply excellent, no question about it. I've always wanted to meet the Doctor, you know. And Sherlock. Cheekbones and all." I rambled. Loki stiffened as I spoke of these men. I smirked. "And, of course, I've got my Sex God in my kitchen getting all jealous over fictional characters. What would I do without him, I wonder? Probably die of deprivation." I threw a wink his way and he grinned.

"Excellent." He commented lowly, observing me as I cooked. I could feel his penetrating stare upon me the entire time, but I was not going to blush, not this time, no.  
"I just wonder… Who actually _would_ come to Britain to cover this up? And question us?"

The front door burst open and we both stared at each other in shock. We rushed to the kitchen entrance and we saw a man flanked by several soldiers with guns. The man was coloured, tall, had a leather trenchcoat on, and wore an eyepatch. He kept a hand on his pistol in its holster. "My name is Director Nick Fury. I came all the way down here to soggy Britain to cover this whole mess up and talk to you. I've got some questions for you."

**Dun, dun, dunnnn! Short chapter, a bit more citrus at the beginning, no matter how brief. I don't mind this chapter. Could be better, could be worse. By the way, I've changed my Tumblr name to 'lunahiddles', so, uh, yeah. Also, I mentioned in my previous note about the Tom idea. Would you like in novel format (IT WILL BE REALLY REALLY LONG IF IT'S A ONESHOT) or in script version, which is how it is currently written out? PICK PLEASE! I love you all, so very much. I'd like to thank Midnight Valentina for following me on Tumblr, and for being a faithful reader and reviewer. Breathless Wind: You make me laugh so much xD  
Kyleeishere1: Thank you very much for the long review :D I will be sure to keep the advice in mine when writing the whole thing. I think it **_**will**_** be a chapter thing, and I will be making it separate. The alternative chapter will probably be added… Either at the end of story (when I've finished), or when I've finished writing the alternative chapter up, and will be posted as the 'second chapter'. I'm sorry if this inconvenient for you all, but if you have an queries, just review/PM me! Cheers folks. Adios. God kveld. **

**Luna **


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